What a Wonderful World
by Pencyke
Summary: Konosuba was great, and if you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out. Considering the premise, there had to have been tons of regular people who chose to be reincarnated instead of going to heaven. This is about one such person.
1. Welcome to This Wonderful World

_Filthy casual Tanjun Sumaru wasn't really dedicated to anything. He went to school, did his classwork, and went home to watch naruto and play games._

_This is his life._

* * *

**Hey guys, I'm not dead! Isn't that great?**

**Hm?**

**Why aren't I posting for one of my ongoing stories?**

**Don't sweat the details.**

**Please.** **X~****^_^ ~x**

* * *

-After school-

Sumaru slid the classroom door closed and heaved a sigh, "Now I can finally go home." Today was the day he was scheduled to clean the classroom. There had been others assigned as well, but they'd left already, "They left me behind," Sumaru cracked half a smirk, "I guess that's what I get for trying to do a good job."

He shrugged and swung his bag over his shoulder. _I'm so slow with stuff like that, it's annoying. _Sumaru frowned and dug his phone out of his pocket.

"Whatever, slow and steady and I'll get there eventually." Sumaru's eyes scanned the bright screen as he let his legs take him down the familiar path out of the building. Through the hall, past that door, down the stairs(Two at a time), stop to change into the right shoes, and finally out the door.

"Hm, no updates on for my manga. Nothing interesting on the Tube either. That sucks." Sumaru passed through the front gate of the school and smacked his lips, "Man, I'm thirsty."

He reached for the water bottle that he kept in his bag, but it wasn't there, "Huh? What the heck? Where is it? Where's my water bottle?" Sumaru's heart beat sped up as he looked through his bag again, "Nonononono, it has to be here. I know I put it back after I had that drink, right?"

Sumaru wasn't really sure, _But maybe I can retrace my steps and find it that way!_ He nodded to himself, "I'll do that right now!" He turned and ran back to the school, but his foot slipped and suddenly the whole world went dark.

* * *

-The crossroads-

Sumaru was sitting in a chair.

"I'm sitting in a chair." _Huh._

The clacking of heels interrupted his deep inner monologue as a figure passed him by and sat in a throne across from him.

She was some kind of angel, in a pristine white dress, with pure white feathered wings trailing behind her. Her soft lips parted, "Tanjun Sumaru."

"Uh, yeah?" He'd been staring.

"Do you know where you are?"

Sumaru cast his gaze around the great expanse of nothingness, "The afterlife?"

The angel nodded, "Yes. It is sad, but true. Your life has ended before you even had a chance."

Sumaru looked at his hands, "I'm... Dead." He flexed his fingers, before looking to the angel, "How?"

The angel leaned back in her throne, "When you tripped, your head hit the corner of your school's front gate. It wasn't pretty."

"Oh." Unbidden, Sumaru imagined how someone might find his body sprawled in front of the school's gate. The image of his arms and legs splayed out, his neck bent at a weird angle, all in a pool of his own blood made Sumaru's stomach churn. He tried to focus on the angel, "So, um, what happens now? Will I be a ghost? Do I have to haunt the front gate of that school forever?" Sumaru squirmed in his seat, "I'm not really religious, so..."

The angel smiled serenely, _That's a trustworthy smile_, and said, "Well, you have two options. You could," She held up a finger, "One, pass on to heaven and eternal peace. Or," A second finger joined the first, "You could go be a hero in a different world, with magic and leveling and a demon king for you to defeat."

Sumaru's eyebrows were up, "So I could just, do that? Really?"

The angel nodded, "There's more. If you choose to be reincarnated into this world, then the gods will bestow you with a powerful item or ability of your choosing to take with you on your quest to defeat the demon king."

Sumaru nodded, "That does sound pretty cool." _And they say Hell is where all the fun people go anyway._ He shrugged, "I'm supposed to be dead anyway, I might as well have fun with it." He faced the angel, "I'll do it, the reincarnation thing."

The angel clapped her hands and her smile widened, "Excellent decision. Do you have anything in mind for what you want to take with you?"

"Oh, uh." _I didn't think of anything yet! _He smiled at the angel, "Of course." _Mouth! What are you doing?!_

"Oh, how unusual. Most of the recently departed need more time to pick something." She tucked the cards that she had begun to pull from her sleeve back away, and Sumaru cried internally, _It would've been nice to see some example. I don't want to pick anything weak that I'll regret._ The angel fluttered her long eyelashes, "Do tell me what it is you desire."

Sumaru smirked, "But of course." _Shut up! I need to think!_ "What I have in mind is something both powerful and useful." _Just say you don't know!_ "It is something unlike any other, and is sure to come in handy against the demon king!" _I'm monologuing! Mouth, do you have any idea what you're even saying?_

The feathers on the angel's wings rustled as she shifted on her throne, "You've peaked my interest, and you have my full attention. Now tell me what it is."

"I want," _Please stop! _Sumaru leaped up from his chair with purpose, _Et tu, My Legs?!_ "The power of-!" _What is coming out of my mouth?!_

The angle was leaning forward now, with her wings lightly fluttering to keep her on the throne.

Sumaru sucked in a big gulp of air.

_Don't say it, please I'm begging you!_

"The Sharingan."

"..." The angel stared, and a slight smirk spread across her luscious lips.

Sumaru blushed, "..." _...This is so dumb._

The angel spread her arms and said, "Then it shall be done." Blue light swirled to life around Sumaru and lifted him into the air. "Goodbye, Tanjun Sumaru." There was a hint of amusement in her voice and Sumaru didn't like it at all.

"Don't make fun of me!" He huffed as the void was overtaken by the blinding light.

* * *

-Axel: The town for beginners-

Sumaru blinked, and shielded his eyes with a hand, _The sun sure is bright._ It seemed, he'd been deposited on the side of a busy road. Sumaru's eyes roamed over the brick buildings, was he in a town?

Sumaru tucked his hands into his pockets and tried to look like he was going somewhere, _It would be creepy for some guy to just be sitting around. I have to at least try to make a good impression_ So he wandered down the streets, glancing between the shops and the people. They were both totally fantasy. A glance at himself had Subaru feeling very self conscious.

He was still wearing his school uniform. Actively digging through his pockets turned up a little sack and nothing else. No wallet, no phone, no tissues for when his nose randomly starts to run, no house keys, or anything. Just that sack of coins if Sumaru's ears weren't lying. _How did that even get in my pocket? _Sumaru stared at the thing in his hand, hard.

"Now I'm curious."

Sumaru sat on the ledge at a fountain and loosened the drawstring on his pouch. On top of the assortment of coins, there was a folded piece of paper. Sumaru unfolded it, "Huh, it's a note." He rubbed his eye and read:

_Dear Tanjun Sumaru,_

_Your worldly possessions at the time of your death have been converted into the currency of this world, eris._

_Use it wisely._

At the bottom of the note was a little doodle of the angel from before, "That's pretty cute, did she draw it herself?" Sumaru stuck his finger into the pouch and jingled the coins around, "Doesn't seem like much, but at least it's something." He noticed a group of slimy people trudge by, _Huh, where are they headed?_

"It's that party again."

"Huh?" Sumaru looked over, there were a couple of ladies chatting. _When did they get there?_

They saw him, "You don't know, Sir?"

_Think fast!_ "Uh, know what?" Sumaru inwardly kicked himself, _Thanks brain._

_Any time._

"That's the new group of adventurers with the horrible leader."

"Yeah, apparently he loves to get the girls in his party covered in slime."

"And he'll shamelessly steal a girls unmentionables and wave them in the air like a flag."

"I heard he uses blackmail to keep his party members from leaving, too."

"He's the worst."

"The absolute worst."

"An enemy to all womankind and a disgrace to adventurers everywhere."

Sumaru's head swiveled between the two ladies talking at him, _How long did they rehearse for? _"Um, I'm new in town. So I'm just gonna..."

"Oh," Eyes appraised him, "Are you here to become an adventurer?"

"Uh..." _Good one._

"The guild is that way, just follow the slime that party left behind." One of the ladies pulled up her sleeve and smiled sweetly, "And don't even think of becoming an adventurer like Kazutrash."

"Um, right! I'll go there, right now." Sumaru briskly walked away. _What scary people._

It wasn't hard to follow the trail of slime, and in no time Sumaru found himself in front of what must have been the guild building. He took a deep breath, "Okay, we're all on the same side. Just take it one step at a time." He brought his hands up to the double doors. _Slow and steady._

The doors swung open easily enough, but Sumaru had to scramble to duck out of the way as a table soared through the doorway and out onto the street. _Someone's fighting?_ There was a lot of yelling inside, and he poked his head around to see what was going on. _Oh, everyone's fighting._ Then he caught sight of some kind of service desk at the far end of the main room, where a woman was waiting with a worried look on her face. _Almost everyone._

Sumaru slouched into the building and edged his way along the wall, doing his best to avoid the flying drinks, furniture, and bodies. He crawled under a table to avoid a food platter spinning like a saw blade and barely managed to make it out before the table was crushed under the weight of a large man flying through the air. Eventually he did make it around to the desk in the wall and he tried to get her attention, "Pst."

Everyone was yelling and laughing in the brawl that was underway, _No wonder she didn't hear me._ "Hey, excuse me." She still didn't hear him. Sumaru tried yelling, "Hey! Boob Lady!"

She startled and looked down at the young man crouched at her desk, "What did you just call me?"

_Ignore it, get to the point,_ "I just want to register as an adventurer."

Boob Lady blinked down at him before switching modes, "Adventurer registration? The fee is 1000 eris."

"Oh, um, is this enough?" Sumaru pulled out some coins and put it on the desk.

Boob Lady counted out the coins and handed some of them back.

_Make small talk, _"So, um," Sumaru gestured at the brawl, "Does this happen often?"

She nodded, "Every day." She set a card on the desk, "Now let me explain. Adventurers fight monsters outside of town-" The yelling intensified and Sumaru couldn't hear what she said next. Then it died down and he heard her say, "Please touch this adventurer card. It will show your level and stats."

"Uh, okay." _It really is like a game, huh?_ Sumaru touched the card with a finger and nearly had a heart attack when a mug of ale slammed into the wall right next to his head.

"Now let's see here," Boob lady swiped the adventurer card and looked it over, "Tanjun Sumaru. Above average intelligence, decent strength and vitality, and average luck. It looks like Spellsword would be the best fit for you."

"Spellsword? It sounds cool, but what is it?" _Maybe it's close to a ninja?_

"Spellsword is a class that wields magic to augment their close combat. Like a flaming sword, or wind spells to make them faster." She pantomimed swinging a sword, and Sumaru struggled to look up from her chest, "Like that, see?"

Sumaru nodded, "Well, I guess I'll do that one, then."

"Okay, then you're a Spellsword." She handed him a pamphlet, "This has more specifics about your class. When you feel ready for a quest, pick one from the board over there and bring it to me." Sumaru nodded, "I would recommend finding a party to join before going out, but what you do now is up to you."

Sumaru tucked his card into a pocket and turned to leave, then a thought struck him, "Hey, if I'm gonna fight and stuff, I guess I'll need a weapon. Know any good places?"

* * *

-Weapons for Cheap; Great for beginning Adventurers-

"It's closing time, have you picked yet?"

Sumaru rubbed his chin as he considered , "Well, my first thought was to get a sword because it's in my class name, but-"

The shopkeeper growled, "I don't want to hear your thought process, I want you to make a decision."

"Oh, right." Sumaru glanced around the shop, "Um, I'll take," Sumaru closed his eyes and pointed, "This one, I guess?"

"A basic spear? Just pay up and get out of here, kid."

"Okay."

Now with his shiny new spear in hand, Sumaru stepped out into the night. _Slow and steady._

* * *

_-Outside of Town(Night)-_

_Well, I'm almost broke. _Sumaru was curled up at the base of a tree on the outskirts of town, _I don't want to come across as some kind of creep by sleeping in the park, but this isn't really any better, is it? Well, at least it's not too cold tonight._ He looked up at the sky, it was filled with bright stars and a full moon. _Heh, couldn't get a sight like that back home even if I tried._ The full moon was beautiful. _Home._ It was bright enough to read by, actually. _How have my parent's taken my death?_ Sumaru pulled out the pamphlet that Boob Lady had given him and opened it.

_There's no way they haven't found my body by now. My body, huh? I really did die and now I'm alone in this crazy new world._ Sumaru's grip tightened on the pamphlet._ I wonder if anyone was traumatized._ He shook his head, _Am I traumatized?_

Sumaru's eyes scanned over the page, "I mean I died after all, so I should feel something, right?" A silent breeze in the night was the only answer he received. The wind rustled his hair and when he rubbed some dirt out of his eye, his fingers were moist. He stared at the glittering droplets on his fingers, "Huh?"

He stayed like that until he fell asleep.

* * *

-Axel Guild Hall-

Boob Lady's professional smile wavered, "You look terrible."

Sumaru nodded, "It was a rough night." There were bags under his eyes, leaves in his hair, and bits of grass and dirt were clinging to him all over as well.

"And you're sure you want to take this one? You still don't have a party, right?"

Sumaru nodded again, "It is what it is."

"If you're sure, then who am I to stop you?" Boob Lady tucked the quest flier into a new file and said, "Just be careful around those Giant Frogs, their tongues can reach farther than you would think."

Sumaru nodded again, "Don't worry, I'll be alright." He lifted his spear and made his way for the guild-house door.

"Hey boy!"

"Huh?"

There was a muscular man sitting alone at the bar. He raised his mug without turning around, "Give 'em hell."

Sumaru cracked a smile, "Yeah." Then he turned and left.

_Slow and steady._

* * *

-Outside of Town(Day)-

Sumaru stood at the top of a hill, watching how the wind made patterns in the grass similar to the ocean. He slung his spear off of his shoulder. _This is it, life as an Adventurer starts now. This is my next step._ He took a breath and looked to his spear, "I don't know any magic yet, so it's all on you my expensive friend."

Sumaru spotted a frog in the distance, then he rubbed his eyes and looked again. _That thing is the size of a house!_ And it had already spotted him.

"I'm gonna go down there and kill that frog, and then four others. I'll get paid, I'll level up, and it will be easier next time. I just have to take it one step at a time." Sumaru ignored his trembling legs and took a heavy step toward the frog. _Should I aim for the head?_ He glanced at his spear,_ Maybe I can reach it with this?_ He glanced back at the frog, it was a lot closer than before.

_I still have time. _Sumaru gripped his spear tighter, _Maybe I should aim for it's guts? That would be fatal, right?_ He glanced back up at the frog, and his voice caught in this throat as something wet wrapped around him and slammed into his chest.

_I'm gonna die! _Sumaru rocked back as he was bungeed toward the monster's waiting mouth. _It's going to eat me and I'm going to die again!_

Tears spilled from his eyes and time slowed down. Sumaru could see how the frog was going to close it's mouth around his body and swallow him whole. That was the path he was on. _But_ _I have to change it!_

He still held his spear. It was like moving through molasses, but he managed to point it forward and grip it under his arm.

_Slow and steady._

The frog sucked him into it's gaping maw, and the spear pierced through the roof of it's mouth, all the way up to Sumaru's hand. The frog teetered back and rolled down the hill.

At the bottom of the hill, Sumaru's quivering hands emerged from the dead frog's mouth and scrambled to pull out the rest of him. He patted himself down, "I'm alive." Then he worked to pull the slick spear from where it poked out of the Frog's head.

"I'm alive." Those words felt good to say.

Sumaru opened the dead frog's mouth to look inside, then he looked at himself, "Covered in brain matter and frog guts, but still alive."

**RIBBIT**

Sumaru looked over his shoulder. _Look there's another one._ He smiled dangerously, "I just need to use my spear and these dumb frogs will do the work for me." He tried to lift the weapon into a ready position. _Owowowowowowow! _Pain lanced through Sumaru's right shoulder, and his arm fell limp at his side.

**RIBBIT**

With a powerful leap, the giant frog landed in front of Sumaru. It was going to bend over to snap him up if he didn't move.

Sumaru managed to duck out of the way, but it was difficult to hold onto his spear with only his non-dominant hand so he tucked it under his armpit. _I used to hold brooms like this when no one was looking._ The frog bent down to swallow him again and he jabbed it in the eye as he danced around it's head. The frog reared back in pain, and Sumaru pierced it through the belly, up into it's chest. Blood welled up in the back of the frog's throat, then it coughed, and collapsed.

"Heh, two for two." Sumaru's legs gave out and he collapsed. _Pain. That's a lot of pain._ It even hurt to breath.

"Wow, that's a decent bit of carnage you've got going on here."

Sumaru was in too much pain to try to see who'd shown up. Instead he groaned.

"And you're still alive?" A single clap, "I'd say full marks for the solo adventurer's first attempt." _I think I'll go to sleep._ "Well, I guess it's time to do what I was asked. Food doesn't pay for itself after all."

Brown boots passed Sumaru's face just before he lost consciousness.

_Slow and steady._

* * *

**_First Impressions In This Wonderful World_**

_Sumaru: Hey there. __You, uh, come here often?_

_?: I work here._

_Sumaru: Right, right. So, when do you get off?_

_?: Do you even know my name?_

_Sumaru: ..._

_?: Well?_

_Sumaru: ...Boob Lady? _

_Boob Lady: -_-_

_Sumaru: T-T_


	2. Hello, Wonderful World!

**Wow, I pumped out a whole chapter in four days. I think that's a new personal record.**

**Hope you enjoy it, but don't get used to this update speed.**

* * *

Sumaru sat at a table in the guild hall, and Boob Lady set a platter of food in front of him. As he ate, he considered what happened, _After I lost consciousness, Someone recovered my body and brought me to the guild hall. Even though I never really got hit, that priest said I tore my muscles and even a few tendons. I guess it's kind of scary what a guy can do to himself._

"Tanjun Sumaru, this is why beginning adventurers don't take quests on their own." The way Boob Lady crossed her arms over her chest threatened to make her already ample cleavage spill out of her blouse. It was mesmerizing.

Sumaru couldn't hold back his blush, but nodded anyway. "Mmhm."

"If Chris here hadn't been in the area, then you would've been frog food." Sumaru's eyes wandered to the girl lounging in a chair behind Boob Lady. Chris was a thief who'd been passing through the guild that morning. Apparently she'd been the one to haul him back to safety. _I'm not sure how bright blue hair and wearing close to nothing help with breaking and entering, but okay. _Bood lady continued, "Chris told me you passed out as soon as she got there. Giant frogs are attracted to loud noise, and from what else she told me, you made quite a lot of noise with those first two frogs. More definitely would've come."

Chris sniggered, "Yeah, you really squealed when that frog tongue got you. I bet I could've heard you from the other side of the city!"

Sumaru glared at the thief, "I did not squeal."

She grinned, "I totally believe you. It must've been the little piggy hiding in your pants right now."

"You leave my piggy out of it." Sumaru crossed his arms, "Look, I appreciate you picking me up." He looked at Boob Lady's face, "And I appreciate you looking out for me. You probably saved my life. But now I have a good idea of what I'm dealing with, and I'm confident that it will work out better next time."

Chris didn't stop grinning, "Oh yeah? How do you plan on doing that without cash or a weapon?"

Sumaru blinked, "Huh?" _Why is she holding my spear? Wait, that's my money bag too!_

"I just happened to find these along the way while carrying your sorry carcass back here. I think I'll use the extra bit of cash to replace the clothes I had to get rid of. Frog blood, it'll stain like nobody's business." _Is she serious? _Chris saw the look on his face, and smirked, "Hey, my kind of help ain't free. Anyway, I don't need a weapon as big as this for anything, so why not have a little contest to see if you can win it back?"

The look on Boob Lady's face wasn't comforting, "Chris? That's not- What are you doing?" _She sounds worried._

"How about we not do that? You can keep the money, I don't care about that. I just need my spear back so I can go kill more frogs, then I can give you half of the quest reward." It hurt his wallet to make an offer like that, but he didn't have time to waste now that he'd really been robbed blind.

Chris shook her head, "No deal. You're a Spellsword right? That class is versatile enough to fit into most preexisting parties. So, if you can find someone to group up with by the end of the day then the spear is yours. But if you can't find anyone in time, then I'll sell this off to help pay for my new clothes!"

Her master plan now revealed, Chris stood there and cackled to the world. As Boob Lady looked on with mixed emotions on her face, Sumaru looked down at the utensils by his plate. _I could kill a frog with one of these, right? I don't have to use the spear, right?_

Sumaru held up the knife, while Chris continued, "It's a pretty sweet deal if I do say so myself. Aren't I generous?"

Sumaru swung the knife. _I just have to aim for the eyes, and-_ He swung it again. _Yeah, just like that. Then I can-_ He took another swing with all of his strength and the blade flew from his fingers, past Chris' head, and stuck in a chair leg right between someone's legs. _Oops._ The poor guy who'd been minding his own business jerked back into the table he'd been leaning on, sending the food flying across the guild hall into another group's table. Someone threw a punch and from there it devolved into an all out brawl.

Chris stared at the chaos for a moment, then turned back in time for Sumaru to bowl into her and rip his spear from her hands. He looked Chris in the eye, "You'll have to forgive me!"

Chis' eyes widened, "Wait!"

Then Sumaru pushed her into the chaotic mass of brawling adventurers and dashed out of the door. In his rush, he bumped into a girl with long blue hair. His brain made a connection and his mouth spat out words, "Tell Your sister I'm sorry!" Then he ran for the front gate.

Sumaru got winded about halfway there and had to stop and catch his breath.

* * *

Sumaru stood at the top of a grassy hill, vigilant in his watch for Giant frogs. He took a deep breath.

"Man, I stink."

It was true. Sumaru's clothes hadn't been washed while he'd been out, and now the scent of frog slime and blood was immortalized within his school uniform's threads. _Maybe it'll attract some frogs? _Sumaru twirled his spear clumsily, and scanned the area. _Still nothing._

"Boob Lady did say they were attracted to loud noise, maybe I should try shouting so they come to me?" Sumaru twirled his spear again, watching as it wavered and wobbled in his hands. _I'm not that good at this._ Sumaru planted the butt of his spear in the grass, "Well, I guess it's worth a shot." He sucked in some air, and then, "HEY! DUMBASS FROGS WHO WANT TO DIE! GET OUT HERE, NOW!"

Sumaru's final words echoed across the grassy hills and faded into nothing. The wind whistled in Sumaru's ears, before he heard what he was waiting for.

**RIBBIT**

Sure enough, a giant frog emerged from around another hill to answer his call.

**RIBBIT RIBBIT**

As did two others in the distance.

"Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best idea." Sumaru hefted his spear and started trudging down his hill, "Still, as long as I kill it quickly everything should still work out."

The frog lashed out with it's tongue, and Sumaru managed to avoid it. He closed the distance as quickly as possible, while avoiding the frog's tongue as best he could. He clumsily ducked and weaved his way closer, trying to get within range to strike back at the monster.

When Sumaru tried to jump out of the way the frog's tongue was able to latch onto his leg, "Not again!" Sumaru was dragged toward the Frog's waiting mouth. He lifted his free leg in time to keep himself from being completely slurped up, but his other leg made a sick popping sound before pain arched up into him. He screamed, and his fingers fumbled around the handle of his spear. He couldn't keep his grip on the weapon and it fell from his hands.

In a last ditch effort, Sumaru slammed his heel into the frog's eye. It cried in pain and Sumaru fell from it's mouth, thudding painfully on the ground. Sumaru dragged himself across the ground to his spear. The frog lunged to crush him between it's jaws, but Sumaru was just able to brace the weapon on the ground and let the giant frog skewer itself on his spear.

It was a painful struggle, but Sumaru did manage to nudge thd collapsing frog enough so that it didn't crush him under it's weight.

Sumaru's beathing came in shallow gasps and his arms shook. His jackhammering heart felt like it might burst in his chest, and his leg was aflame with agony.

**RIBBIT**

Then the next frog came and tried to eat him. It soared through the air, and Sumaru could clearly see that it was going to land only a few feet away from him.

Sumaru lifted his spear and braced it to pierce the frog as it landed. It worked, and the frog died quickly. It's final croak was accompanied by a sharp snap, and Sumaru pulled his hand away with only half of his spear's shaft.

He looked at the splintered end of the wood pole, "That's not good."

**RIBBIT**

The other frog had arrived.

It stared down at Sumaru with it's emotionless frog eyes. _Is it not going to eat me? _He turned his head to look, and the frog bent over to scoop him into it's mouth.

"No, it's going to eat me, alright!" Sumaru tried to claw his way away, but the frog already had his legs in it's mouth.

Sumaru flailed, to little effect. _I can't get a good angle to smack it's eye! But I still have this!_ He flipped the broken shaft in his hand and jammed the sharp end into the frog's mouth. When it didn't let go of him he kept stabbing until it's jaw went slack and he slid out.

Still, Sumaru held onto the frog's bottom lip and pulled himself up it's face. The frog frantically croaked and shook its head, trying to fling Sumaru off to no avail. Despite the flares of pain from his leg, he gripped onto the frog's lower eyelid with vengeful abandon. The frog tried smashing it's head on the nearest giant frog corpse, and Sumaru used that opportunity to drive the spear shaft as deep into the frog eye as possible. Then the frog collided with the corpse and Sumaru sailed through the air.

He bounced painfully across and when he finally stopped face down in the grass, he didn't try to move. _My everything hurts._ Be breathed in the scent of the grass and dirt. _But I did it and I'm alive._

* * *

Besides the little "Eep!" that came out when Sumaru finally managed to drag himself up to her desk, the first thing Boob Lady had to say to him was, "You look terrible."

Sumaru tried for a smile, "You should see the other guy." It didn't quite reach as far as intended, and Boob Lady frowned at him.

"You went back out for those frogs."

Sumaru started to shrug, but it turned into a wince, "Not much of a choice without any money. And-" He paused to catch his breath, "And besides, I'm not frog food."

Boob Lady giggled, "You're right." Then she turned serious, "I've seen a lot of promising young adventurers die before they could even finish their first quest because they felt like they could go it alone." She was quiet for a little while, and Sumaru figured she was remembering something. _Or someone._ He chose not to interrupt. Eventually she remembered where she was, "Oh, did you finish the quest?"

"You bet, now pay me. I'm missing a few of the bare necessities here."

Boob Lady held up a hand for him to wait, "There's an order of things that need to happen first. Now show me your adventurer card."

"Okay." A shaking hand slid the card out of a sticky pocket, "Woah." Miraculously the card was pristine, "My clothes need that kind of magic."

Boob lady winked, "Sorry, that's a trade secret." Sumaru pouted while she took his card and put it into a device that glowed briefly, "Quest completion confirmed, five giant frogs killed within the three day time limit. With that, you've risen from level 1 to level 3." She handed the card back, "You should invest in some skills before you go back out there. It should help a lot." Then she counted out a bunch of coins, "And now your reward, 50,000 eris for 5 dead frogs." She smiled, "Don't spend it all in one place."

Sumaru slid the coins into his pocket, "Don't worry, my first stop," He paused and considered his priorities, "My first stop will be for clothes, then a bath, and then some food and sleep."

Boob Lady nodded, "Yeah, you look like you need all of those."

Sumaru looked at her, "You don't need to be polite, I really stink." He tried to stand up straight and winced, "Oh yeah, are there any priests around?"

"Yeah," Boob lady pointed to a table where a bald man was sitting alone, "He's a good one."

Sumaru offered Boob Lady a pained smile, "Thanks." Then he hobbled over.

* * *

Sumaru walked down the street with a little bounce in his step now that his everything didn't hurt, _Okay, it was 15,000 to get healed. Expensive, but definitely worth it._

Sumaru looked around the marketplace and ignored the very wide burden people were giving him. _Clothes, clothes, clothes..._ He spotted a place he'd seen before and made for the door. There was a little design of a shirt and pants on the sign hanging above the window. He stepped inside, and before anyone could tell him to leave he said, "I need some clothes that are easy to clean." Then he brought out a fistful of coins, "Don't worry, I can pay."

* * *

Now clean and wearing new clothes, and with a full belly, Sumaru fell face first into the mattress he'd rented for the night. _This is a lot better than sleeping outside. _He rolled over and looked at the ceiling, "Tomorrow I'll go back to that weapon shop and see what they've got, and I guess I'll ask around about learning some magic. That should be pretty cool." He laughed, "I'm really going to learn magic, huh? I bet my friends would be jealous." Sumaru grit his teeth, "It's not so glamorous in reality." Tears pricked at his eyes and he wiped at them with his sleeve, "I can't even go back home." _Because I died._

That night, Sumaru slept fitfully.

* * *

The little bell at the door chimed, and the hench shopkeeper turned from what he was doing, "Welcome to Blades and Sundry, where-" Then he saw who actually walked in, "Oh, it's you. Here to waste a few more hours browsing my racks?"

"Not quite." Sumaru held up the broken spear shaft, "I need a replacement."

The shopkeeper looked at the splintered end of the shaft, "I broke already? Hmph, it was junk anyway. That was the best you could afford two days ago. What were you even doing? Digging a hole?"

"Not quite." Sumaru leaned on the counter, "I killed a few frogs and now I can afford something a little better, in case you were wondering." He slapped a stack of coins on the counter top, "I need a reliable spear." His eyes wandered around the back wall for a moment, "And something small, too."

"Alright, alright, I'll see what I've got in the back."

Sumaru nodded, "Cool."

* * *

"Hey, where can I learn some magic?"

Boob Lady glanced up from the papers she was shuffling around, "Just get another adventurer to show you and it will appear on your adventurer card. From there, spend your skill points and you'll be right as rain."

Sumaru nodded, "Got it. I'll be back later." Then he turned and walked to a group of adventurers huddled around a table, "Hey, I need to learn some skills! Can anyone teach me?"

* * *

Sumaru slapped a flyer on the reception desk, "I'll take this one."

Boob Lady looked up, "More frogs. Are you sure about this?"

He nodded, "Now that I know a little more, they shouldn't give me so much trouble."

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I'm sure."

Boob lady huffed, "Fine." She marked a paper, "There. It's the same as the one from before, five frogs in three days." Sumaru nodded and turned to leave, "Just, don't overdo it."

"I'll try not to."

* * *

Once again, Sumaru stood at the top of a grassy hill. In his hand was his new spear, with a sturdier shaft and a tougher tip. He patted the steel dagger that rested on his hip, _In case something gets too close._ He pulled out the blade and took a few swings with it. Then he pointed it in the air and said, "Spark." He felt a drain on his MP and electricity crackled across the blade before letting off a bolt into the air.

"Heh, I just did magic." He looked at his reflection in the blade and saw himself, "This really is a fantasy world, huh? There's swords and magic, and I think I even saw a couple elves. My friends would totally be jealous." His throat tightened, and Sumaru slid the blade back into it's sheath.

He spotted movement in the distance, and tightened his grip on the shaft of his spear. _Oh look, giant frogs. Better go kill them._

And he did.

* * *

_**Partying in this Wonderful World**_

_Sumaru: Hey, could I join your party?_

_?: Eh? Who are you?_

_Sumaru: I'm Tanjun Sumaru._

_?: Do you know who I am?_

_Sumaru: You're Satou Kazuma, right?_

_Kazuma: I have enough babysitting to do without adding another one to the list. What can you do?_

_Sumaru: Um, I killed a couple of giant frogs yesterday._

_?: Kazuma! Kazuma! Look! I got a really easy quest that's perfect for me! Come on! Let's go!_

_Kazuma: Leave me alone, Aqua. I'm talking to someone who may not be useless._

_Aqua: Who are you calling useless! I'll have you know that I am the great Lord Aqua! And there's no room for some nobody extra to split the money into even smaller portions! Scram, you! Beat it!_

_Aqua dragged Kazuma away._

_Sumaru: _ Well, okay then!_


	3. Masutaro

**Hey guys! It was brought to my attention that it wasn't really clear where in the timeline this story is taking place.**

**As far as where in the timeline this story takes place, Sumaru arrives in the world after the cabbage harvest, but before the Veldia debacle.**

**Anyway, Sumaru's adventures won't really have much impact on the main story line, the point of his character is that he's not especially driven.**

**On to the story!**

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Sumaru developed a daily routine. He would wake up, grab a quest from the guild, finish it, grab his reward, and go back to the inn that he was starting to call home.

One such morning when he brought his chosen quest to the desk for Boob lady to verify, she sighed at him.

"Hey, what's up with the heavy sigh?" Sumaru closely inspected Boob Lady's face from across the counter, "Are you sick?" She shook her head. He looked around and lowered his voice, "Are you deep in the red?"

Boob Lady's face turned red, "What? No! How could you even think that-!" She noticed the other adventurers looking over and lowered her own voice, "It's nothing about me. It's just," She paused, and Sumaru looked at her curiously, "It's just this quest."

"Oh." Sumaru leaned back and actually laughed, "That's it? I thought it was something serious. Wait," Sumaru hunched forward and looked at the quest flyer, "What's wrong with the quest?"

"Well, how should I say this?" Boob Lady looked up and away, "It's giant frogs."

Sumaru raised an eyebrow, "And that's bad because, why?"

Boob Lady fidgeted, and Sumaru was distracted for a moment. She tried again, "It's just that you're going out to fight giant frogs, again."

"I still don't see how that's a problem."

Another receptionist with a smaller, more reserved chest leaned over from where she was working on paperwork, "Dude, all you ever do is kill giant frogs. It was kind of cool the first few times when you came in all torn up, but now you just show up covered in blood every time! Do you know what it takes to clean those stains?!"

Sumaru rolled his eyes, "Well yeah, I'm the one cleaning my clothes every day. And it sucks getting hurt all the time, too."

The second receptionist pounded Boob Lady's desk with a fist, "That's not the point! It's boring! You come in here everyday like you work an office job! Shamelessly killing frogs and collecting your coins! Did you know we have a surplus of frog meat because of you?!"

Sumaru sweat dropped, "That's a good thing, right?"

The receptionist reached through the window and grabbed Sumaru's shirt, "And what do you think happens to the days leftovers?"

_Quick, think of a snappy comeback! _"Um, late night frog leg happy hour time?"

"Wrong!" She shook him by the collar, and Boob Lady squeaked as she was pushed out of her chair, "They give the days leftovers to the staff! Frog legs, frog soup, frog sandwiches! I'm sick of frog! My complexion can't take it anymore! Go kill something else for me to eat!"

"But-! Frogs-! Are-! Dangerous!" It was hard to talk while being shaken.

She shook him harder, "Do you know what they call you! Frog slayer! Frog maniac! Crazy frog guy! Frog f- Aaah!" Someone pulled her off of Sumaru and dragged her away.

Sumaru rubbed his neck, _Thank goodness that's over._

Boob Lady frantically bowed, "I'm terribly sorry for my colleague's lack of conduct."

Sumaru shook his head, "Hey, no harm no foul, but could you confirm my quest? If I don't make it soon, the frogs won't be at their normal spot."

Boob Lady giggled as she stamped the flyer, "It really is like an office job for you, isn't it?"

"Well, at least it's consistent." He waved as he left, "See you later."

Boob Lady nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

When Sumaru finally made it to his regular hill, there was already someone there. It was anolder man with peppery hair and a mustache lounging in a lawn chair

"Who are you?"

The man waved away the question, "I just thought I'd get some sun today." He stretched, and leaned farther back in his chair with a smile, "Feel free to act like I'm not even here."

"Um, okay." Sumaru trudged around the lawn chair and stood in his normal spot overlooking the hills. There where two bare spots in the grass where he liked to plant his feet. Sumaru turned to the older man, "Things might get dangerous. I just wanted to say that I'm not responsible for your wellbeing. If you get hurt, it's not my fault."

The man took a sip out of the gem studded goblet he was holding. _Where did that come from?_Then the man smiled, "Aah. Remember, I'm not even here."

"Right." Sumaru turned back and raised his hand to the sky, "Spark!" A sharp crack rang through the air and a tendril of electricity fired into the sky.

**RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT**

All across the field, frog sounds echoed and were answered. The horizon wavered with movement as frogs from far off moved toward the sound.

_That's a lot more frogs than usual. Still, it's not a problem._ Sumaru gripped his spear with both hands and let his eyes take in all of the movement. _I'll just take them out as they arrive._

It took the first frog a few hops to make it up the hill, and when it landed in front of him, Sumaru stabbed it in the face with the sharp end of his weapon. He twisted the spear and yanked it out in time to bat away an offending tongue. With his boot, he rolled the frog's body down the hill and readied himself for the next one. It didn't take long, hopping over the rolling corpse to get close.

Sumaru managed to skewer one of it's legs as it landed, "Freeze!" Ice magic extended from his outstretched palm at the frog's face and covered it's eyes in a layer of frost. Then he swung the back end of his spear and bashed it's face in. A second frog went rolling down the hill.

Sumaru glanced at his hand and flexed his fingers. _I don't know if I'll ever get used to being able to do real magic._

**RIBBIT**

Sumaru looked up in time to be bowled over by a flying frog. As they flew past the old man, the frog oppened it's mouth to swallow Sumaru whole and Sumaru drew his dagger. The frog's tongue snapped out to wrap around him, and Sumaru cleaved most of the way through it with the first swipe of his blade.

Then the frog hit the ground and it's behind folded over it's head, and Sumaru tumbled down the backside of the hill.

Sumaru felt his feet touch the ground, and pushed his legs. He twisted into the air in a clumsy cartwheel backflip and would've busted his face on the ground if not for the frog tongue that caught him out of the air and yanked him in another direction.

Sumaru struggled against the air pressure, but still managed to get his hand on the tongue that had him, "Spark!" Electricity streamed into the frog tongue and coursed through it and Sumaru. The tongue, successfully numbed, lost it's grip on him and wrapped around the frog's head. Sumaru flew over that frog and, though he was shocked, was able to sheath his dagger in time for a rough landing.

Sumaru cursed and swore as he bounced across the grass. He swore louder when he realized he'd lost his spear during that wild tumble.

**RIBBIT RIBBIT RIBBIT**

_Great, I'm surrounded._ Sumaru jumped to the side to avoid a frog tongue. _Just what I didn't want to happen._ A frog bent over to gulp him down and he pointed his hand at it, "Spark!" Smoke streamed from the frog's eyes, and Sumaru scrambled to avoid it's reactionary lunge. He stopped just in time to avoid having a giant foot crush his skull, "Freeze!" The frog's mucus crystallized and it's skin tore.

He ripped his dagger from it's scabbard and stabbed another frog that was trying to eat him. That frog reared back, and though he tried to hold on, Sumaru's hand slipped from the blade and he tumbled back to the ground.

**RIBBIT**

Sumaru looked up at the giant frog standing over him, blocking the sun with it's body. It hunched over him while he struggled to roll over. _Move!_ His arms and legs shook, and his hand slipped in the dirt as he tried to push himself up from the ground. The frog's mouth was wide open and dripped slime all over Sumaru.

Sumaru shut his eyes and lifted his shaking hand. _I'm running out of mana, but this is the best thing I've got! _He shouted, "Spa-!" Before he could finish the incantation, something whizzed past Sumaru and then he was doused with warm, sticky, wetness. He opened his eyes, "Huh?"

The frog had been turned into a steaming pile of goo and his spear was stuck into the ground next to him. Though part of his brain wanted to process what had just happened, the other part kicked it between the legs and yelled, _Screw that! It's time to strike back!_ Sumaru grabbed his spear out of the ground with a wild scream, "Aaaaah!"

Then he dove headfirst into the rest of the frogs, who seemed just as confused as to what had just happened.

* * *

When Sumaru trudged back up the hill he'd started from soaked to the bone with frog blood, the older man spared him a glance and took a long drink from his cup. He smacked his lips, "Have fun?"

"That wasn't fun at all." Sumaru looked at the man. He was still lounging back in his lawn chair, as if he hadn't moved the entire time.

"Huh, you could've fooled me with how you were swinging that thing you call a weapon." He sipped his drink, "Looked like playtime."

Sumaru leaned on his spear and yawned, "Look, thanks for the save, but are you just going to insult me? Who are you anyway?" He tried to wipe some of the blood off of his face, but just smeared more on, "What are you even doing here?"

"I heard about a fledgling Spellsword they call the Frog Slayer and I was mildly curious. So I came to look at what you could do." He swished his drink in the goblet, "As for who? Let's see..." The man took a long drink, "Haah, that's good stuff!" His face flushed slightly, and he grinned, "You can call me Masutaro, and you have peaked my interest!"

Sumaru blinked, "Eh?"

"You're rough around the edges, but your struggle resonated with something within me." He took another drink, "So, I lent you a hand!" He stood up and let out a bellowing laugh that echoed across the land, "Come with me, kid! I'll show you how to be a real Spell sword!"

"No thanks."

"You didn't even hesitate! That's what I like to see!" He gave Sumaru the thumbs up, "But it's too late for that. Too bad. I've been looking to take on a disciple for awhile now, and now that I've found someone like you..." He shrugged, "Well. Let's just say I'm not letting you get away. Now that I've saved your life, you're not allowed to refuse, kid."

"That's nice!" Sumaru was already halfway down the hill. _If I can make it to the city, then I'll just report this guy as a stalker and let the authorities deal with him. So what if he saved my life? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who's meant to teach, or even be around children._

"I like your spunk, disciple of mine! You're so excited that you started training without me!" Sumaru's eyes bugged out, _How'd he get right next to me?!_ Masutaro hadn't put down his goblet and even took a deep drink from it, letting the purple liquid splash on his face and neck from the movement, "But! You may want to stop for a moment!" Masutaro pointed and, out of reflex, Sumaru looked. Frogs were swarming all over the bottom of the hill, and more seemed to be coming out of nowhere. There was an incredible number of them. _That's got to be all the frogs on this side of town!_ Sumaru stumbled, and Masutaro caught him by the back of his shirt, "For now, that's a few more frogs than you can handle. So! As you are now my cute little disciple, it is within my capacity as your teacher to lift you out of the mess you find yourself in." He swished his goblet again, and Sumaru was able to clearly see it refill itself with dark purple liquid. Masutaro continued, "Of course, you could always refuse me as your teacher. That would just mean I've already done my good deed for the day and that this-" He gestured down to the writhing mass of frogs, "Is none of my business."

Sumaru glanced at Masutaro. _This guy is definitely some kind of weirdo. _He looked down at the frogs. They were moving up the hill. _But, that's a lot of frogs._ Sumaru looked back at Masutaro, "You're definitely strong?"

It wasn't reassuring to see the older man grin with his entire face wet from what he'd been drinking. He laughed into the sky, "Yeahahahahaha! That's one way to put it!" He drained his drink in one gulp and stretched his arms. In his hands, the goblet glowed and stretched into a spear just as long and much more ornate than the one Sumaru owned. Masuta twirled the weapon above his head, "C'mon, you cute little clouds! Come to papa!" He pointed the tip of the spear toward the sky and Sumaru glanced up. _There isn't a cloud in sight._ Still, Masutaro shook his weapon in the air and yelled, "Call Lightning!"

For a moment the sky turned black, and then everything was white.

"Aah!" Sumaru clutched his face, "My eyes!"

"Oh yeah, you might not want to look up."

"You asshole!"

"Hey!" The anger in Masutaro's voice made Sumaru flinch, "The only name you get to call me is Masutaro." Then Sumaru heard a slurping sound and Masutaro sounded much happier, "Or teacher. That works too."

Sumaru felt himself be picked up by the back of his shirt and he struggled, "Hey, I can walk on my own two legs!"

"Now, now, my cute little disciple. It would be irresponsible of me to let you run off while you still can't see." Masutaro laughed out loud and slung Sumaru over his shoulder. He twirled his spear in one hand and it shrank into a ring on his finger, "Besides if I didn't hold on tightly, you might get lost! Wahahahahahaha!"

Sumaru grumbled. _I'd love to get lost right now. This guy gives me a bad feeling._

* * *

"U-um..."

Sumaru held his adventurer card out to Boob Lady, "Is there an issue?"

She shook her head, "No, nothing's wrong. It's just," Her eyes took in Sumaru's blood soaked form, "16 frogs is a bit much," Her smile strained, "Don't you think?"

Sumaru shrugged, "There was nothing I could do about it."

"Uh huh."

Neither of them spoke while Boob Lady was filing the paperwork.

Sumaru fidgeted, "...Do I still get extra pay?"

Boob Lady sighed, "Yes. It's not as much as for the first five, but you do."

"That's a relief." Sumaru scratched his cheek and chuckled, "By the way. If anyone asks about a crater outside of town, it wasn't me."

That got a raised eyebrow from Boob Lady. She took her time to answer, "...Why would anyone suspect you?"

Sumaru hunched, "There's a lot of charred frogs." Then his face darkened, "Also, I may not come back for a while."

She blinked, "You're leaving?"

Sumaru lightly shook his head, "No, nothing like that." His shoulders fell, "I'm just gonna be occupied."

Boob Lady's face fell, "Oh." Then she looked up at Sumaru, "Wha-"

Sumaru's hand slammed on the desk, and he heaved a heavy breath. In a low voice, he said, "Don't ask." Then he grabbed his money and his card and walked out of the guild, leaving a bloody hand print embedded in the wood.

"You done already?" Masutaro was leaning on the stone wall, just outside of the door. He grinned, "I thought you'd have a few more sweet nothings for your honey."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, old man. And give me that." Sumaru snatched his bag out of Masutaro's hand and started walking, "Well, since I can't get rid of you anyway. What do you have in mind, oh infinitely wise self proclaimed teacher of mine?"

"Heh," Masutaro slung his own pack over his shoulder, "I know a place."

"Then lead the way, I'll be right behind you."

"Hah! You aren't fooling anyone with that!" Masutaro grabbed Sumaru's shoulder with a toothy grin, "As if I'd let my cute little disciple out of my sights for even a moment."

Together, the two of them left town.

* * *

_**Out Sick in This Wonderful World**_

_Sumaru: Hey, you aren't the normal person._

_?: I'm not._

_Sumaru: Is she okay? She's here every day._

_?: She's not._

_Sumaru: She's not? Is there some kind trouble going on?_

_?: There isn't._

_Sumaru: That's a relief. So what's up with her?_

_?: It's her..._

_Sumaru: It's her?!_

_?: Day off._

_Sumaru: Day off?!_

_?: Yeah._

_Sumaru: -_- Oh._

_?: Need something?_

_Sumaru: No, I'm just gonna go._

_?: T_T Ok._


	4. A Wonderful New Day

**Hey guys, here's the next exciting installment of Sumaru's adventure in this wonderful world.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

As the sun peeked over the horizon, it's rays of light reaching just far enough to blind anyone out on the planes so early in the morning.

Tanjun Sumaru's ragged breath came out in in small clouds of vapor as he trudged across glassed dirt. A bead of sweat slid from his brow down his nose, "You know," He gulped, "When you said you knew a place, my expectations weren't high." One foot in front of the other, and then he pulled on the tether attached to a harness he was wearing. "Still, you managed to fall short of even that." He pulled again, and the weight on the end of his rope slid forward a little bit.

Masutaro shrugged from where he was reclined on the land sleigh. He said, "This is a special place." Then he pointed at Sumaru and his voice dropped an octave, "Hey kid, keep your face forward. You still have a few more hours of pulling."

Sumaru turned away and heard a sloshing sound. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "This is just a crater." _Damn you, you drunk old man._

"Sounds pretty special to me."

"There's a ton of craters around here, why is this one special? It's not even the one you made when you toasted all those frogs! We passed that two days ago!" Sumaru yanked on the rope and the sleigh scraped forward.

"Toasted?" Masutaro sounded curious, "I like the way that sounds. I'm going to use that, disciple of mine."

Sumaru growled, "How about instead of lounging like some emperor, you leave me the hell alone!" He pulled on the rope again, "I don't want any training! How many times do I have to say it?"

"Hahahahaha!" Masutaro pointed and laughed out loud, "You're hilarious!" Then he sighed, "I'll tell you what, disciple of mine, if you can prove yourself superior to myself then I'll concede that you don't need training."

_That gives me an idea. _Sumaru crossed his arms and looked back at Masutaro. The old was still lounging on their combined luggage, "Fine, but I get to choose what our contest will be."

Masutaro stretched his arms over his head, "Knock yourself out."

_ He took the bait. _Sumaru smirked, "We'll play hide and seek."

"What's that? Some weird kind of poker?" Masutaro rested his elbow on his thigh and his chin on his palm.

Sumaru closed his eyes and stuck a finger into the air, "It's a game where one person hides," A second finger joined the first, "And the other tries to find him."

Masutaro cupped his chin and looked into the distance, "A test of stealth then. An aspect of adventuring that many disregard as dishonorable, and only for criminals." His eyes cut back to Sumaru, then he grinned, "But you see the benefit of such a skill. As expected of my disciple, always ripping your box to shreds at every opportunity." He slapped his knee, "So! How do you decide who gets which job?"

The edges of Sumaru's smile curled, "Well," He pointed at Masutaro, "It's tradition that the oldest person hides first."

"Huh?" Suddenly Masutaro's cheeks sucked in and sweat was dripping down his forehead.

_Serves you right, old man._ Sumaru pulled off the harness, "We'll both say how old we are." He let out a sigh of relief, _This thing is way too tight. Good thing I won't be wearing it any more._ He smirked again and let out a smooth voice, "Don't worry, I'll go first."

Masutaro squeaked, and Sumaru's grin widened, "Who said I was worried?"

Sumaru clicked his tongue, "No need to get upset, it's just a figure of speech. Now then," He held out a hand with the thumb, pointer, and pinkie finger extended and tapped it against the palm of his hand with all of it's fingers outstretched, "I'm seventeen years old."

Masutaro spoke in a small voice, "Ah."

_Is this how tax collectors feel? _"It's your turn."

"Right." Masutaro dry swallowed, "My turn." He scrunched his shoulders, tilted his head to the side, and spoke in an infantile, high pitched tone, "I-I-I'm si-six-sixteen!" Then he winked.

Sumaru stared. _That's so wrong._ Then he crossed his arms, "You're not fooling anyone like that. I can see your wrinkles all the way from over here."

Masutaro slumped, "Fine, you got me." Then he jumed to his feet and jammed a finger at himself, "I lost count around 2,000 but I'm sure I'm still younger than your parents!"

_He's delusional._ Sumaru shook his head, "That's just sad."

"Hey! Don't pity me you brat! Hurry up and start the game!"

"Fine, fine." Sumaru put up three fingers for Masutaro to see, "I'll count to thirty, and you use that time to hide as best as you can. When I'm done, the game will start and I'll start looking for you."

"What happens if you can't find me?"

"Then I lose. But you have to give me enough time. You look like you're really good at hiding, so I think I'll need a lot of time to find you. If I can't find you by sundown then I won't be able to find you at all. If that happens, then you win."

"I don't know, sundown seems like a long time from now."

"But we have to make it fair. After all, I'm sure you have a lot more experience than me with this kind of thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"It better mean nothing."

"Anyway, let's start. And remember, if I can't find you then I have to stay as your disciple. If I do find you, then you will leave me alone and find someone else to teach. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

"Okay." Sumaru gestured around him, "I'm covering my eyes now, and I'm going to start counting." Sumaru waited a moment, "One! Two! Three!..."

* * *

"...28! 29! 30! Ready or not, here I come!" Sumaru looked around. _There's no trace of him._ A smirk spread across his face. _Good, now I can ditch this old man. It would be suspicious if I just ran back to town, so I need to make it look like I'm trying. Still, by sundown it'll be too late to start tracking me, and he'll lose if he tries to stop me! _Sumaru wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. _I almost feel sorry for that geezer, he has no chance. Almost. Heh, that's what he gets for kidnapping me to be his disciple. Like I need someone like that for a teacher!_

Sumaru checked the land sleigh that he'd been pulling and moved everything around, "This is the most obvious place for him to hide, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least check." _I'm just grabbing my stuff so I can make a run for it! _He found his pack and quickly slung it over his shoulder. He stood up straight and looked around. There were the plains, all pocked with barren craters and interspersed with rolling hills. He could see the town walls in the distance, just peaking around a dip between the hills. _Should I even go back to town? It would suck to leave everyone behind, but I don't want this crazy old man stalking me forever._ He looked the other way and could see trees in the distance. _I did hear about a forest nearby. How hard could it be to be a survivalist for a little while?_

* * *

The sun was halfway across the sky when Sumaru made it to the treeline. He made it a few steps into the shade before he collapsed under by the tree's roots and a small dust cloud billowed out of his clothes. _I'm so tired. _He rolled over and let his arms stretch over his head. _My shoulders are stiff, too._ He stared up at the branches, and his mind wandered.

"How many times have I slept under a tree like this?" A light breeze blew by and lightly kissed Sumaru's heated skin. He sighed, and his eyelids grew heavy. He curled up on his side and mumbled, "Man, these roots are soft." And then his eyes closed.

* * *

_What smells so bad?_

A sneeze rocked Sumaru's body, and the back of his head smacked something hard, "Ow!" His hand reflexively tried to rub the spot where a bump was already swelling into existence, but he was bound to a thick wood pole. He could hardly move. Then there was a dirty green creature in his face making noises. Sumaru's responded, "Wha- Huh?" _Very smooth and elegant._

_Shut up brain and do your job! Tell me what's happening!_

The green thing threw a hand full of powder in Sumaru's face that made him sneeze. _That was pepper. You're tied up and about to be eaten._

_Great._ If Sumaru wasn't tied up, he would've thrown his arms up into the air. _How do I get out of this?!_

_How should I know?_

_You're the brain! It's your job to know!_

_First you tell me to shut up, then you tell me to talk! You're sending a lot of mixed messages._

_I'll show you a mixed message!_

Sumaru's most private thoughts were interrupted by a shrill growl directly in his ear.

"Huh?" Sumaru tried to look back at whatever it was, but pain flared up his neck. He cringed, "Right, necks don't turn that far. I forgot." Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of fur writhing around. His attention was quickly redirected back to the little green men stomping and shouting in a crowd around him, "These are-?" Sumaru trailed off as he watched one of them defecate right before his eyes.

"Goblins!" Sumaru flinched and tried to look at whatever was tied up with him. _This thing can talk?! It's definitely not human! _The voice rasped, "Weak, nasty, stupid, cunning goblins!" It spat, "If I hadn't let my guard down, I would've massacred them all! I'll still massacre them all, as soon as I get out of these idiotic bindings."

Sumaru ignored the shaking and grunts and looked down at himself. _Clothes? Check. _He shook his legs and kicked a goblin away that was getting close. _Boots? Double check._ He kicked away another goblin that ran up with a club, and it's nearby brethren pointed and laughed. A small blade fell next to Sumaru. _Emergency knife? Triple check. _He used the heel of his foot the nudge it into grabbing distance, then he spun it into a reverse grip and started sawing at the rope. His eyes darted between the small monsters, they were laughing at each other. He tried to glance at his fellow captive, "So, uh, the name's Sumaru. Who are you? Let's work together, we should make it out okay."

"You want me to team up with you?" Barking laughter rang in Sumaru's ears, "At least buy me dinner first!"

Sumaru glanced around at the primitive tents and the crowds of goblins messing around between them. He sawed faster, "Well, yeah. There's kind of a lot of them."

More laughter, "Sorry to burst your pretty little cherry, sonny boy, but I don't do team ups. Just stay out of my way and maybe I won't mistake you for a goblin and smash your head in."

Sumaru's face scrunched up, _What an idiot! Working together is obviously the best way out of this!_ He tried not to look like he was cutting the rope. He said, "Whatever, I didn't need your help anyway. Compared to fighting giant frogs every day, these guys should be a piece of cake!" _I'm getting out of here as soon as I get the chance._

"Oh, is that confidence I smell? Then perhaps you'd fancy a wager? The one who kills the most goblins makes the other their slave for life!"

Sumaru locked eyes with a goblin that was wearing some kind of bone headdress. He said, "What is wrong with you?! We don't know each other. That's not the kind of thing you say to a stranger." The rope snapped and Sumaru stomped a goblin's face in. He rolled to his knees and flung himself to his feet.

A growl, "Wimp." Sumaru saw a tan blur of fur and wind tear through a group of the chortling goblins. From it, the raspy voice yelled, "Fine. How about a year? That ain't too long for ya, right?!" The blur stopped for a moment and Sumaru caught a clear look at what it was. Some kind of giant weasel writhed like a snake on the ground and barked out words with it's dog-like head, "If you say no, I'm gonna chew your face off personally."

A goblin jumped at Sumaru and he slashed it's throat mid-air, "What the hell? That's not a bet, it's extortion! If you're gonna do that, who'd stop you from doing whatever you want?" Then a goblin landed on his back.

"My word is my bond." The creature leaped and sheared off a goblin's head with a blade of wind, "If you agree to the terms, then I will uphold them." It spun and saw a bunch of goblins piling on top of Sumaru, "If not, there's nothing to stop me from making a snack out you before I leave this place in ruins."

"Spark!" Sumaru sent a current through the goblins that were trying to mob him, and they all burst into flames. He pulled himself out from under the bodies, "Fine!" He gasped, "Whatever, we'll do your dumb competition!" He grabbed a passing goblin and threw it onto the fire.

"I knew you'd see things my way, Su-ma-ru." Blood dripped from the creature's wide grin and it's eyes glowed, "Both parties are in agreeance." It stomped once, "By my name. I, Marrow, validate the contract. The loser will be bound in servitude to the victor for one year!"

"Yeah, yeah, you do that." As Sumaru stomped another goblin's lights out he spotted one running around with his spear. It was far to big for the child sized goblin and bobbed in the air with each frenzied step. Sumaru pointed at it, "Hey! That's mine!" The goblin blew a raspberry and led a group to swarm Marrow. Sumaru snarled, "Freeze!" Ice sprayed from his outstretched hand and froze it's knobby knees. As the goblin continued to run, it's frozen knees shattered and it collapsed, losing it's grip on the weapon in the process. The goblin was immediately trampled by it's fellows, "Now, spark!" Electricity arced from Sumaru's fingers and set one of the goblins' rags on fire. The goblin panicked and ran into the middle of the crowd and ignited more of their clothes.

Within moments, flaming goblins were running around in every direction. Marrow looked up from a face full of goblin entrails and nodded, "Not bad, for a human. Now check this out." With a whip of it's bristled tail, Marrow summoned a tornado. It sucked the flaming goblins into it's turbulence and flung them through the air.

"Wow, I don't think I could care less." Sumaru grabbed his spear and used it to throw a goblin into the dust devil.

Marrow growled and bit into a fleeing goblin, "Way to be a jerk, jerk."

"Says the one who forces strangers into ridiculous bets." Sumaru spun his spear and crushed a goblin's skull with the blunt end, "Oops." Then something caught his eye, "Hey your name's Marrow, right?"

"What of it?" The tornado was launching torched goblins into the huts and setting them on fire.

"Are goblins supposed to do that?" Sumaru pointed with his spear at the goblin with the headdress. It shook a gnarled branch with a skull on the end as it chanted and an unsettling aura emanated from the circle of bones it was standing in.

"Wha-?" Marrow blinked, then it barked out, "Don't just let it cast! Kill it!"

"I'm kind of busy over here." Sumaru punctuated his words by stabbing a goblin. _I need to find the rest of my stuff._

"I'm busy, too. You do it!" Marrow snarled and directed the flaming tornado through one of the goblin's already crumbling buildings. Debris scattered everywhere.

"You're the one who wanted to do all the massacring, why stop now?" Sumaru kicked one goblin and tore his blade out in time to bash another goblin.

Marrow pointed with it's nose at the circle of bones the goblin was standing in, "That's a magic barrier, I can't get to him."

"How is that any different from me?"

"Is that spear of yours just for show? It's a barrier against magic, now hurry up and bash it's head in or something!"

Sumaru rolled his eyes. _I don't have to do_ this. He glanced around._ Almost all of the goblins are dead _ "Uhuh." He ran at the goblin as it raised it's staff. The skull at the top of the staff glowed brightly, and Sumaru yelled out, "Die, you!" Then he drew back his arms and let his spear stab forward. It pierced through the barrier and wobbled, but Sumaru held it true and stuck the goblin in the stomach.

The goblin's eyes rolled back in it's head, and it's tongue dangled from the side of it's mouth. The staff fell from the goblin's hand and lost it's glow.

Sumaru pulled his spear from the goblin's guts. As it fell onto it's back, it's final breath came out in a clear syllable. The length of the staff shook and bright orange cracks opened in the skull.

Marrow stopped in the middle of what it was doing and shouted, "Get away! That thing's gonna blow!"

Sumaru turned his head. Marrows ears were flat against her head "Huh?!" _Huh?!_

A snap, a crackle, and a pop, then Sumaru's world disappeared.

* * *

**Trudging Through This Wonderful World**

_Masutaru: Pull faster, my disciple!_

_Sumaru: I'm pulling as hard as I can._

_Masutaro: Really? You looked stronger when you were killing those giant frogs._

_Sumaru: Giant frogs and pulling a house are in two separate categories._

_Masutaro: Speaking of frogs, there's one now._

_Sumaru: !_

_Masutaro: Woah! I knew you could do it, Kid!_

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**With this new development, Sumaru's life in this Wonderful World launches in a whole new direction.**

**Stay tuned to find out.**

**As a side note, I really enjoyed writing Marrow. I imagine her as the mother wolf from Princess Mononoke, but smaller and brown. Isn't that a nice image?**

**See ya!**


	5. A Wonderful Wake Up Call

**Hey Guys! It's been awhile.**

**Before you start reading, I just wanted to let you know that for Masutaro's voice just imagine it's Nicholas Cage.**

**Now, onto the slaughter!**

* * *

_My head hurts._ The rest of Sumaru hurt, too, but it was eclipsed by the pain in his head. _It's like someone put my head in a vice when I wasn't looking._

A growl resonated through Sumaru's body, "Ah yo awae yeh?"

_Oh, it's just Marrow._ Sumaru's head really hurt. _She sounds close._

"Ih yo don' say som', Ih gon ea' ya."

The pain intensified, and Sumaru's eyes shot open, "Ow!"

Marrow spat Sumaru's head out of her mouth, "Boo. You had to wake up now, didn't you. I'm so hungry, too." She sat and her ears dangled.

Sumaru sat up and rubbed his head, "My head." His hand came away red, "Huh?" He looked up at Marrow, and his brain made a connection, "You were gonna eat me?!"

Marrow was curled on top of a mossy stone like a discarded fur scarf. The dog-like weasel creature twisted in what Sumaru figured to be a shrug, "You weren't waking up, so I figured it would be fine."

"You were gonna eat me because you thought you could get away with it?" Sumaru crossed his arms, "What a scary way to think."

"C'mon, it wouldn't be that bad. You humans are all gonna die eventually anyway, what's the harm in getting started a little bit early?"

"That's like saying, 'The world is gonna end eventually, so it's fine if we blow it up now.' No!" Sumaru jammed a finger at Marrow, "That is not okay, and it will never be okay. Where do you get off thinking that anyone would be okay with getting eaten alive?"

Marrow's eyes glistened, "Does that mean I can eat you if you happen to die?"

Sumaru stared, "Why are we even having this conversation? Where even are we?" The sky was dark, and there wasn't a campfire, but he could make out the shape of the trees, "The forest?"

Behind him, Sumaru heard a content sigh, "Yep. You really got yourself in a pinch, didn't you? You were trying so hard to find me, but instead you got captured by goblins of all things." A tongue clicked, "Disciple of mine you still have much to learn."

Sumaru stilled. Marrow was in front of him and her mouth hadn't moved. His thoughts came out, unbidden, "No way."

"I can understand how you might be overwhelmed with feelings of relief and admiration at the sound of my immaculate voice," Masutaro burped, "I'm sure you will be happy to hear, disciple of mine, that I did not come find you until the sun had set. As we agreed upon, you are officially and irrefutably my student from this day on."

Sumaru buried his face in his hands, "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve this. I'm just a regular guy, I don't deserve any of this."

Masutaro gave Sumaru a pat on the back, "Save your feelings of inadequacy, you have a big day tomorrow. I've been going easy on you until now because I didn't want you to get cold feet about this whole thing." A shiver ran down Sumaru's spine, "But now that you're committed, I don't need to worry about that anymore." Masutaru stood, "Speaking of which, I need to get everything together for tomorrow."

Sumaru looked at Marrow with tears streaming down his face, "Save me..."

Marrow through her head back and cackled, "And end the fun before it's even started? I don't think so." She grinned, "And besides, I really would've eaten you if that master of yours hadn't shown up when he did."

Sumaru rolled his eyes, "Gee, that's great to hear. Now I get to look forward to knock-off hell before I go to the real one." In the face of Marrow's laughter, he scowled, "I hate you."

Marrow waved one of her stubby paws and pretended to caress Sumaru's face from across the clearing, "Don't you worry, little morsel. I'll eat you eventually."

* * *

Blood dripped from Sumaru's nose, "I hate you so much."

"Uhuh," Masutaro took a drink from his ever-present goblet, "You'll be thanking me when you're fighting off a hoard of gremlins with nothing but your flimsy little knife." He twirled the branch he held in his other hand, "Don't worry, it'll hurt less when you get good."

"Right." Sumaru gripped the snapped twig that he'd been armed with, "Tell me again why we're doing this?"

Masutaro squinted, "I suppose you would have a concussion or two after taking an hour long beating." He turned to Marrow who was lounging on a low tree branch, "What do you think, Furball? Should I tell him again?"

Marrow flicked her tail and barked out, "As much as I enjoy watching our little friend get pummeled, why don't you have mercy on him. He's just too stupid to get it on his own."

Sumaru grit his teeth, "I'm right here, you know!"

Marrow cooed at him, "Shshsh! The adults are talking."

Masutaro nodded, "Alright, my cute little disciple. I'll tell you however many times you need for your puny brain to get it."

"Does it have to be an insult?" Sumaru threw his broken twig and grabbed a fresh one from a dwindling pile.

Masutaro ignored him, "We're sparring because you don't know how to fight." The words stabbed through Sumaru, "You're easily distracted, reckless, and obviously untrained. I watched you take on those frogs, and the only reason you got as far as you did is because of your tenacity. That's what impressed me about you, actually." Sumaru perked up at the sound of a positive point, but Masutaro wasn't done, "But tenacity can only go so far without the support of actual skill."

Sumaru didn't like that, "But I have skills! I can-"

Masutaro cut him off, "I mean real skills. Sure, you can get any old warrior to swing a sword for you and spend points for the basics. But what I mean is true skill. The kind that you get from life long training, even if you don't have the points to spend or the right class for it."

Sumaru nodded, "Okay. That's great and all, but why can't I have a big stick too?"

Masutaro's face was completely serious, "Well, son, not every man is created equal."

Marrow barked with laughter, "I guess I can't blame you for being jealous, you do seem to be lacking in that department."

Sumaru blushed, "That's not what I mean and you know it!" He shook his fist at Marrow and Masutaro, "Why do I have to use these flimsy twigs when you're using an actual branch!"

Marrow barked out, "That is an excellent question!" She looked down at them, "How come the kid only gets a stick? I missed the explanation."

Masutaro held out his branch, "Well since you're officially my disciple, Sumaru, that means I can finally start teaching you my secret spellsword technique." The air around the branch shimmered, and then he swung it at a large rock. The rock split in half, but the branch was immaculate, "Anything can be as strong as a sword with this, and a blade can be stronger than anything."

"That's cool and all, but how do I do it? I know we're in a forest, but eventually I'll run out of twigs."

Masutaro gestured with his hands, "You have to run your magic over it, let your mana be the edge. Here, look." The glow intensified, and Sumaru could clearly see a line of light tracing around the middle of the branch, "All you really need is a straight line, but when you get good you can do cool stuff like this." The line of light twisted and curled around the branch in a spiral.

"But I can't do that yet!"

"I can see that."

"So what do I do? This can't be the first step."

Masutaro held up a finger, "Let me think." Seconds passed, then he snapped his fingers, "Now I remember!"

Sumaru crossed his arms, "You only remembered just now? What, did you have me busting my face on the last step without preparation or anything?"

Masutaro waved away Sumaru's grievances, "Don't sweat the details."

"You're terrible."

Masutaro slumped, "You don't really mean that, do you?"

A dark look crossed Sumaru's face, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Marrow barked, "Careful, boyo. Any more and that master of yours might blush!"

Masutaro coughed into his arm, "Anyway, first you need to feel your magic in order to shape it without using a spell."

Sumaru cocked his head, "So what do I do?"

"Close your eyes."

Sumaru shrugged, "Alright." He closed his eyes.

"Now concentrate on your mana pool."

Sumaru furrowed his brow, "What is that even supposed to be?" He gripped the twig in his hand, _I feel dumb. _

"Look for the warm feeling you get when you cast a spell."

Sumaru shook his head, "I can't feel it."

"Concentrate. Keep your eyes closed and cast a spell. Don't focus on what it does, focus on yourself."

Sumaru pointed his free hand in a direction, "Spark." It was like his stomach clenched and relaxed, "Oh, I did feel something."

Marrow clapped, "Congratulations, you've learned the first lesson that weak novice wizards are taught."

Sumaru scowled, "Could you at least try not to sound sarcastic?"

"No."

Sumaru pointed his open hand in the direction of Marrow's voice, "Spark." He smiled at the sounds of movement and distress that followed.

Masutaro spoke up, "Now I want you to hold onto that feeling for as long as you can."

Sumaru nodded, "Got it."

"Do you have it?" Sumaru nodded, "Good. Now all you have to do," As Masutaro spoke, Sumaru leaned forward. _This is actually interesting. _"Is block my attack!"

"Huh?"

Masutaro's branch slammed into Sumaru's face, and everything went black.

* * *

Masutaro clapped his hands, "So, I think we all learned a valuable lesson today."

Marrow cackled, "I know I did!"

Sumaru sat cross legged and scoffed around the bruise on his face, "Yeah, I won't ever listen when someone tells me to close my eyes again."

Masutaro chided them, "The lesson, my cute little disciple, is that you are lacking in more places than I first thought. We need to begin work on your spacial perception, as well as your magic basics immediately."

Sumaru crossed his arms, "Is that why I woke up blind?"

Marrow slapped Sumaru with her tail, "You're not blind, it's just a blindfold."

Sumaru sputtered and missed grabbing the tail, "Why can't I just learn one thing at a time like a regular person?"

Marrow slapped him again, "Because, if you did it that way you would just be crippling yourself."

"Since when do you care so much?" Sumaru snarled, "I'd rather be a cripple than deal with either of you for the rest of my life."

"I don't care. But, if you're going to get yourself killed, then do it where I can see you. A girl's gotta eat, you know."

"Uhuh."

Marrow rustled around on the ground, but that was all Sumaru could tell.

Masutaro spoke up, "Anyway, you're going to live with that blindfold on until you can use your raw mana at will. Considering how slow you are, by the time that happens you won't even need your eyes to fight!" Sumaru heard Masutaro take a drink, "I call it Plan: Get Well Soon."

"I don't like how that sounds," Sumaru was already reaching for the mask, "How do I even do that?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Masutaro sounded smug, "While you were unconscious, Marrow and I put a curse on that blindfold."

Sumaru's hands stopped centimeters from the mask, "C-curse?" Sumaru could hear Masutaro's retreating footsteps, "What's the curse?!"

"If you take off that blindfold without my permission, the little thing will suck out your eyes when it comes away from your face." Masutaro's spoke with a pleasant tone as opposed to his normal harsh half-yelling, "Now, why don't you meditate on that for a while?"

"Uhh." Now that he thought about it, Sumaru could feel a sensation around his eyes. _Like something is latched on to them._ His stomach churned, "You really are the worst, I- I think I'm gonna be sick!."

"Not where I'm napping you're not!" Marrow shouted, "Go over to those bushes!"

"Huh? Bushes?" Sumaru stumbled to his feet, and took a few steps in a direction. Then his foot hit something soft and he fell over.

Marrow screamed in his ear, "Get off of me before I bite your face off!"

Sumaru gasped, "I can't hold it!"

Marrow snarled, "Don't you dare!"

Sumaru's cheeks puffed out, and then he spewed chunks. The sound echoed among the trees, as did the pained scream that came out of Sumaru when Marrow bit into his arm.

* * *

For Sumaru, the days blended together in continuous darkness and frustration. Between trying not to trip over the world and tightening his grasp over his raw mana, Sumaru also sparred with Masutaro and slept through lectures from Marrow(his ability to sleep sitting up was improving by leaps and bounds).

One day, while Sumaru was slouched over his breakfast, Masutaro said, "I feel that your hold over your mana has improved enough for you to move onto the next step."

Sumaru paused and gestured to his blindfold, "Do I get to take this thing off, yet?"

"Nope, it's very important for the next step."

"So what is it?"

"I'm getting to that." Masutaro cleared his throat, "So you've been working on grasping your mana for awhile, now."

Sumaru would've rolled his eyes, "Tell me something I don't know."

Masutaro slapped Sumaru, "Shut up when I'm talking to you!"

Sumaru rubbed his stinging cheek, "It must feel great to beat up a kid wearing a blindfold." His voice mimicked that of an unrelenting reporter, "Could you tell me how it feels to be an asshole all the time?"

Masutaro took a long drink, "That was just a baby tap compared to what's gonna happen if you don't learn what I'm trying to teach you."

Sumaru leaned back against his favorite rock and spread his hands, "Then by all means, teach away." The split in his lip stung when he smirked.

"Anyway," Some of Masutaro's drink splashed onto the ground, "I want you to grab onto your inner mana, and stretch it into the space around you. That shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"

"I don't get it." Sumaru had a pinkie in his ear, then he pulled it out and blew the wax off of his fingernail, "Stretch my mana? What's the point of that?"

"The point, is that if you can't realize why you do things on your own, then why would you expect me to tell you? Figure it out yourself."

"What? You're not gonna give me any tips or anything?"

"I'm giving you a day before we I start beating it into you. You should be grateful."

"Grateful? I didn't ask for any of this, you cruel old man!"

"Have fun." Masutaro left.

"Hey! Get back here! I wasn't finished with you!"

Marrow snickered from her perch, "What will you do now, morsel? If you don't get it together, you really might die from what Masutaro has planned." She licked her lips, "Don't misunderstand, it's better for me if you die. I'm just amused by your futile struggles."

Sumaru wiped his mouth and pulled himself to his feet, "Great pep talk, Marrow. Have you thought about being a personal trainer?"

"You know, I never considered it. How about you become my first client?"

"You'd just eat me." Sumaru shook his head, "No way man, I need some space."

"I'm not moving." Sumaru could practically hear Marrow shrug.

"I wasn't expecting you to. Just don't follow me too closely, I want to at least enjoy the illusion of privacy."

"Uh-huh." Marrow yawned, "Let me know when it's time to wake you up from your delusions. 'Till then, knock yourself out."

Sumaru waved over his head as he picked his way between the trees and bushes. _I think I'm getting better at this._ His foot hit a rock and he hissed in pain. _Not perfect, but better._

* * *

Sumaru had a particular tree that he liked to try new things around, the smell helped him think. He stood under the shade of that tree and leaned on it's trunk, "What did he mean when he said to stretch my mana? How do I even do that?" Sumaru focused inward on his mana. He was able to grasp it much quicker than when he'd started, _But I'm not sure what to do next. How can I stretch it?_

Sumaru visualized his mana as a ball inside himself and tried to imagine a way to stretch it. The orb morphed into a taller shape, "Oh, I feel something!" Then it snapped back into a ball, and pain lanced through his chest, "Agh!" He fell over, and gasped for breath. _Okay, that didn't work. What if I try a different shape?_ Sumaru imagined his mana as a string that stretched from his head to his feet. He waited a moment, but the pain didn't come to him that time, "So far so good, now I just have to stretch it." Sweat dropped down Sumaru's cheek as he visualized a way for the rope to spread out. Almost immediately, his body was wracked by pain and he fell over screaming.

When the pain finally subsided, Sumaru just stretched out on the forest floor and breathed. He let the dirt and grass cool his back as he tried to think. _Why does it hurt when I do that? I must be doing something wrong. That's all pain is, after all. It's just signals that the body sends to the brain to say "Something's not right!", I just have to figure out what it is. _Sumaru scoffed, "That's so helpful, I could cry. I think I'll just lay here and try again." He propped his hand up by the elbow and tried to imagine a string of mana between his fingertips.

"No pain so far, time for step two." Sumaru grit his teeth and made the string into a ball. A moment passed, "Huh?" And another, "It doesn't hurt?" He shook his hand, "The mana is still there, but it doesn't hurt. So what's different?" He focused for a moment and changed the ball into a flat triangle, "Is it because it's not in my body?" The triangle became a spring shape, "That's what it has to be, right?" Sumaru tried to touch it with his other fingers, but they passed through the space, "It's not solid, but it feels weird when I touch it. I can't feel it with my fingers, but I feel when they pass through. How does that work?" He smiled, "Who cares, I did the thing. At least now I can show off a little to that furball."

With that thought, Sumaru sat up and pulled himself to his feet and began picking his way back to his favorite rock. _It hasn't been long, so Marrow should still be there._

Sumaru had to be careful to avoid tripping, so he was taking his time on his way back when he heard someone say, "Come on, I won't tell. Trust me, I never go back on my word."

Sumaru raised an eyebrow. _Marrow? I've never heard her whine like_ that. Sumaru crouched. _Maybe she'll say something embarrassing, and I can use it to blackmail_ her. He rubbed his hands and perked up his ears.

"Why would I tell you anything?" That was definitely Masutaro, "My business is my own, the only reason you're still here is because you're amusing."

A chill slid down Sumaru's spine. _What's this feeling?_ _Masutaro is weird, and cruel, and strong, but he's not scary. Right?_ Despite his self reassurances, Sumaru was shaken by Masutaro's cold tone.

"So is the kid just here to pass the time, too? Why put any effort into him at all? We both know that sooner or later you will-"

Masutaro cut Marrow off, "Quiet."

Sumaru held breath.

Marrow whined, "C'mon, how come you're wasting your time with this human?"

"I said be quiet."

Marrow lowered her voice, but Sumaru managed to catch her next words, "I know who you are, you know."

"You say that as if it were news." Masutaro didn't sound impressed, "Still, if you know what's good for you, you'll stop right there. I already told you not to say anything when you first mentioned it, and I expect you to comply."

"What's wrong? It's just you and me. The kid is off trying to piece together that vague explanation of yours. Why are you even trying to get him to learn Mana Sense anyway? I mean it's not like a human could use it to it's full potential anyway, but still! That's a monster skill!"

Masutaro sounded ready to kill, "Remind me which one of us is the weak little nature spirit who can't do anything right?"

Marrow growled and then sighed, "Me."

"And remind me which of us is one of the Demon King's Generals?" Sumaru's eyebrows shot up. _Demon General? __What's he talking about?_

That really cowed Marrow, "You are, Demon General Hans."

Sumaru's eyes widened, _What?!_

* * *

**Nyahahahahahahahaha! What a twist! What a**** cliffhanger! Now of all times?! Aren't I evil?!**

**Anyway, it looks like things aren't quite what they seemed. I already have my ideas about how the next chapter should go, all there is for me to do is put it in the keyboard. It shouldn't take quite so long to come out. I had some major decisions that needed to happen for this one, but now that I've set a little ground work it should work out well.**

**Who knows, we may even get a bit of Sharingan action next time.**

**As far as the Masutaro Hans thing goes, Masutaro was a fake name derived from the word 'Master', and Hans can shape-shift so he could've infiltrated the town whenever. Why he's here? Well, that's his business. 0w0**

**'Til then, bye.**


	6. Fight or Flight in This Wonderful World

**Hey guys, let's just get right into it.**

* * *

**_Last time on What a Wonderful World_**

Masutaro sounded ready to kill, "Remind me which one of us is the weak little nature spirit who can't do anything right?"

Marrow growled and then sighed, "Me."

"And remind me which of us is one of the Demon King's Generals?" Sumaru's eyebrows shot up. _Demon General? __What's he talking about?_

That really cowed Marrow, "You are, Demon General Hans."

Sumaru's eyes widened, _What?!_

* * *

_You shouldn't be here._ Sumaru's brain supplied.

_Good Idea, let's go._ Sumaru nodded in agreement and turned to crawl back to the tree where he'd been practicing. A twig snapped under his boot, and Sumaru cringed. _Please don't notice. Please don't notice. Please don't notice._

Marrow growled, "Hey, you! Get out of those bushes now!"

_Maybe if I don't say anything they'll think it was just their imagination._

Marrow growled again with more force, "I said come out!"

_Please just ignore me!_

Then Masutaro gave an order, "Marrow, just blast that area with a spell."

Marrow inhaled, "Okay."

"Wait!" Sumaru jumped out of the bushes as fast as his legs could push him.

"Sumaru?! Why are you here?" She snarled, "What did you hear?"

_Quick, Brain! Come up with a lie they'll believe!_

_Sorry bud, I'm my break just started. You'll have to do without me for a bit._

_Really?! You picked now of all times to check out!_

_Hey man, I've been working overtime for who knows how long. Well you know what? This brain has had enough of your abuse! You're on your own!_

_Fine! I didn't need you anyway, traitor!_

Sumaru opened his mouth, "I definitely didn't hear all of it, if that's what you meant." _Why am I being a smartass?_ In the face of Marrow's snarling, Sumaru continued, "I mean, what even changes? There's no society to judge you guys, and I for one have a strict no kink shaming policy."

"I'm gonna kill him!" Then, as an afterthought Marrow asked Masutaro, "Can I kill him?"

Masutaro took a long gulp of his drink. Sweat beaded on Sumaru's face as he waited for Masutaro to say no. Then he finished his drink with a sigh, "Go ahead."

Sumaru didn't immediately register Masutaro's words, "What? Why? I thought you wanted me alive for some reason!"

Masutaro laughed, "The reason why I picked you up in the first place was to nurture your growth without letting you know the truth. I was going to eat you once you were finally ripe for betrayal."

"Huh?" Sumaru's heart pounded in his throat.

Masutaro licked his lips, "You see, freshly betrayed human is my favorite food. There's an extra zing in their blood that you can only get from that kind of surprise. You're not the type to trust easily, but I could tell that you were going to be more delicious than anything I've ever had." Masutaro sighed, "But now that the surprise has been spoiled, there's no reason to keep you around. If they know too early, then it ruins the meat forever. Better to start from scratch than to continue with damaged ingredients, wouldn't you say?" Masutaro glanced at Marrow, "What's the hold up? You'll get your punishment too, Marrow. As soon as you take care of this loose end." Then he started walking away.

"So you're gonna leave, just like that? What the hell?" Sumaru clenched his fists, "At least uncurse this damn blindfold," Sumaru swallowed, "Even if you won't eat me, I'm sure Marrow doesn't like the taste of cursed meat."

Both Masutaro and Marrow burst out laughing, "I forgot that you actually believed that crap!"

"Huh?"

"That was just a lie so you wouldn't cheat and hurt your progress on grasping your mana." Masutaro wiped a tear from his eye, "Who the hell would waste their time cursing random face rags?"

Sumaru grit his teeth, "So you lied to me, huh?" He reached up and tore the non-magical piece of cloth off of his face. His eyes watered, and everything was blurred, but he could finally see again. He looked at Masutaro's smug face and said, "Don't think I'm just gonna let you kill me, Masutaro."

He laughed in Sumaru's face, "Oh Sumaru, Masutaro was a fake name I used to trick you. I'm one of the Demon King's Generals, Hans. And you don't need to worry about me, my boy. Now that you're ruined, there's nothing keeping me from the other stuff I have planned." Hans waved and then he melted into the ground and disappeared.

Sumaru stared at the bald circle in the grass with a mixture of relief and frustration.

Marrow snarled, "Better make your piece, morsel, because I'm going to tear you apart."

Sumaru looked over at Marrow, "I forgot how scary your face could be, Fuzzball."

"Pretty lame for your last words." Then Marrow blurred into motion, with blades of wind swirling around her.

Sumaru dove out of her way, but the wind still tore at him. _Push through the pain. _Sumaru palmed the ground and said, "Freeze." Frost spread across the grass around him in a wide circle. He let out a breath and could see the vapors. _That should tear up her feet._

A gust of wind swept around Marrow and ripped the frozen blades of grass out of the ground before she landed with ease. She laughed, "Even if this little trick of yours was a threat to me, I don't need to get close to kill you." Marrow arched her long body and breathed a small tornado into existence.

As the twister careened toward Sumaru, it tore the frozen blades of grass out of the ground and flung them in every direction. Sumaru's heart pounded in his throat. _I need to focus._ He closed his eyes and willed his mana into an orb over his hand. With the spinning blades of wind and ice looming over him, Sumaru stretched the orb into a sheet and wrapped it around the twister. It pushed against his mana, and he strained to keep it from breaking as he willed it to shrink around Marrow's magic. _I can do this._

"What?"

_Marrow's connection has broken, good._ Sumaru opened his eyes and clenched his fist. In a flash, Marrow's magic collapsed within Sumaru's orb and it showered sparks on them both.

Sumaru rose to a knee and pointed an open palm at Marrow's shocked face, "Screw you. Spark!" Electricity arced along the length of Sumaru's arm and out at Marrow and she yelped when it hit her. Then he launched himself forward, past the dog-faced weasel creature and out of the grove. He wove around the trees and navigated roots and bushes as quickly as he could, but it wasn't long before he heard Marrow gaining on him. She was snapping roots and tearing through the foliage to get to him.

One particular broken branch sailed over Sumaru's shoulder and he ducked around a tree when he heard the scream of frustration that followed. Blades of wind passed through the space where he'd been and cut past a tree ahead of him. He ran past the falling tree and hit it with electricity on his way. He didn't look back as the trunk burst apart into flaming chunks over his head and rained sparks around him.

Behind him, Marrow shouted, "You're not getting away that easily!"

Sumaru felt a hot gust blast him in the back, and suddenly he couldn't tell which part of the world was the ground. He tumbled through the air head over heels and landed shoulder first in a shallow creek. Something snapped and Sumaru couldn't stop his agony from escaping, "Aaaagh!"

A branch snapped, and Sumaru looked up. Stalking up to him, Marrow cut an intimidating silhouette against the smoke and flames behind her, "It's annoying when they run, but I don't really mind. It's better when my lunch can beg for it's life." She smirked down at Sumaru, "Go ahead, beg for your life." Sumaru gawked at her with tears of hope in his eyes, and Marrow cackled, "Ahahahahahah! Who am I kidding?! I wasn't gonna spare you anyway." Then she laughed more in his face.

_That's it, then. I'm gonna die._ Sumaru's shoulders shook painfully. _Is this really the end for me?__ Eaten after a month in this new world?_ His teeth chattered. _I'm still a virgin!_ His knees knocked together, and he stared up at Marrow's razor teeth bearing down on him. _Why is this taking so long?_ To Sumaru's eyes, Marrow was moving in for the kill in slow motion. _Could I-?_ Sumaru let himself fall back into the cool water and brought up his knee under Marrow's jaw, snapping it shut with a clack.

Marrow's eyes widened and blood dripped from her mouth as she writhed in pain, "Ah bih mah ton!"(I bit my tongue!)

Sumaru rolled over and tried to push himself up with his one good arm, but his reflection in the water gave him pause. _My eyes are glowing? Since when do I have red eyes?_ In the rippling water, he caught sight of swirling black tomoe in the red pools. One in each of his eyes. _Oh. _"It's the Sharingan."

"Neber her ov ih."(Never heard of it.) Marrow shook her head and spat the blood out of her mouth, "That's better." Then she glared, "Stop talking nonsense and give up already, you've been lucky so far, but there's no way you'll live when I get serious. You might as well give up now and let me eat you."

Sumaru looked up at Marrow, and wiped some of the water off of his face, "You're welcome to try."

"Oh? Are you some bastard Crimson Demon or something?" The flesh underneath Marrow's fur rippled and she exhaled a cloud of steam. Her muscles pulsed and expanded, and her claws tripled in length. Moments later, a paw the size of Sumaru's chest splashed into the creek, and a 20 foot tall wolf grinned down at him. A mouth that could easily swallow him whole opened, "I hate using this form, because the food just doesn't last as long. Never the less, now that it's come to this I can say that I will savor your taste even more now, morsel." The new Marrow grinned down at him with her parallel rows of razor teeth, "Scared yet?"

Sumaru finished standing, "A little."

Marrow's laughter was nearly deafening, "Good! Let's not waste any more time!" Despite her new size, Marrow wasn't any slower. She was upon him in an instant.

Sumaru kept his eyes open. _Focus!_ He leaned out of the way of the jaw that would've torn his arm off, and avoided the onslaught of razor claws and teeth. It would only take one hit for Marrow to kill him. _Focus! _Sumaru dodged. _Left, right, left, right! Jump, and again! Duck under, slide!_

Marrow was a whirlwind of movement, "Hahahahhahhaa! Look at you! Helplessly trying to stay ahead of my claws! You can't dodge forever, I'm getting closer with every moment that passes!" She grinned sadistically, "I'm going to get you, Sumaru!" Then she surrounded her body with blades of wind and curled her enormous body around Sumaru, like a horizontal tornado.

"No." Sumaru froze a platform of water to stand on and dipped his fingers in the water, "This is where your pursuit ends. Ha!" Electricity ran down his arm into the water.

Marrow's eyes widened. She broke off her attack and launched herself into the air, "You think that little trick is going to work on me? Sure you've put some power behind it, you have to be more creative than that to catch me by surprise!"

"I know."

"Huh?" Sumaru reared his arm back as if he was going to throw something, but his hand was empty. Marrow laughed, "Oh, I see now. Your plan didn't work, so now you've lost all sense of reason. How lame!"

Sumaru brought his arm forward and let his attack sail. The air wavered for a moment and then Marrow stopped laughing. Blood sprayed from a hole that opened up in her chest, as well as from her back. She landed in a heap on the edge of the creek, and the end of the javelin that was sticking out her back was only visible because of the blood that clung to it.

Sumaru collapsed to a knee, gasping. The Sharingan faded from his eyes, and the blood that stuck to the invisible javelin fell to the ground. Marrow shuddered and shank back to her regular size.

She coughed up a glob of blood and wheezed, "T-the hell kind of eleventh hour shit did you just pull? La-last time I che-cked you couldn't do anything like that."

Sumaru cracked a smile, "What, you're not feeling alright? All I did was skewer you with some of my mana."

"You asshole."

"Takes one to know one."

Marrow coughed again, "Whatever. You beat me. Now get over here and put me out of my misery." Then she mumbled, "I definitely deserve it."

"You know," Sumaru rubbed his shoulder, "You don't have to die, Marrow."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "If I wasn't already dying, I'd march over and nip your nose off. If you don't kill me here, I will come back for you."

"Then I'll kill you right now, before you get the chance to be a nuisance down the road." Sumaru's smile widened, "Or,"

"Or?" Marrow raised an eyebrow.

"You could make a deal with me."

Marrow barked out in laughter and quickly winced in pain, "Now I know you've lost it. Why would I ever make a deal with scum like you?"

"Hey, this scum just beat your face in." Marrow growled at him and Sumaru continued, "I spare your life, and you come with me."

Marrow scoffed, "Who would ever make a deal like that? It's way too open."

_She's considering it._ Sumaru remembered something, and he said, "Slave."

"That's worse."

"I let you live, and you be my slave for a year. Sound familiar?"

She thought for a moment, "...Go ahead and kill me now."

"Come on! Even if you did kill me, you'd be just as bored and unhappy as you've been this whole time."

"Wha- Who says I'm unhappy!" Then Marrow had a couching fit.

"Shit, you need treatment now or you're really gonna die." Sumaru looked around and hopped off of his melting ice platform, "Look. You talk a big game, but all you ever really do is lie around and watch me do stuff. I saw the way that Masuta-" Sumaru cut himself off, "I saw the way that Hans was treating you. You might as well be his slave."

Marrow watched Sumaru rustle through some plants with glassy eyes, "I-I can't. He'll kill me."

"So you can die here by my hand, or you can die later when you have another shot at things. I could just stop trying to find a medicinal herb and leave you here to die. Hans sure wouldn't heal you if he found you here."

"Hmph." Marrow shut her jaw tightly, and Sumaru felt the urge to pull out his own hair. _I'm done. If she wants to be that stubborn, then she can just die._ But when Sumaru got up to leave, he heard her weakening voice, "I-idiot. You're looking through the poisonous stuff. What you need is there on the other side of the water, at the base of that tree." She pointed with her nose.

Sumaru looked at her, "Is that a yes?"

Marrow growled weakly, "Yes, I agree to the terms. Now make sure you don't poison me, or the deal is off!"

Sumaru smiled, "Heh heh, you got it."

* * *

Sumaru managed to dress Marrow's wounds with the help of her directions, and she only fainted when she made sure it was done properly. He slung her weasel body over his shoulders and walked until the sun set. Then he made a campfire and laid down with Marrow for the night.

Sumaru listened to the sound of the fire as he stared up at the canopy. _Where do I go from here? Who knows what Masu-Hans did with my equipment. _He patted his pockets. _That also means I'm broke. Not that it matters all that much. We're in the middle of nowhere, and I'm not going back to Axcel. That psycho probably has someone keeping an eye out for all of his 'spoiled' meals that got away._ Sumaru shivered. _I'm lucky that he didn't really seem to care. It's a risk taking Marrow with me, but I need the help._ He absently pet Marrow. Her ears twitched. _I need the company, too. Maybe she can tell me more about that Mana sense thing she mentioned before._ He held up his free hand. _I'm supposed to 'sense' with my mana?_ He blinked, and his eyes glowed red. _Huh. The Sharingan. I can't believe that angel actually went ahead with such a dumb idea. Still, maybe I can be as cool as Itachi?_

Sumaru pictured himself in a black cloak riding on Marrow's giant wolf form. The actual Marrow(who he was still scritching around the ears) fidgeted and snored.

Sumaru smiled. _Nah, I'll never be cool._ Then he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**So, Sumaru has unlocked the lowest level of the Sharingan. Nerd power increases! What did you think of Marrow's new form? Besides the food thing, she doesn't like to use it because it takes a lot of power to maintain. **

**Anyway, I just got the Konosuba light novels so it might be a while before the next update.**

**Until next time, Ciao!**


	7. Calling in a Favor

**Hey everyone!**

**Here's a new chapter for your enjoyment. It's the beginning of Sumaru and Marrow's journey together and where they will end up still has yet to be seen. I hope you enjoy.**

**Now let's begin.**

* * *

"Day 364. It has been weeks since the last of our provisions ran out and hunger is beginning to set in. So far we've been lucky enough to find edible fruit growing wild, but I know that can only go so far. Trapping hasn't yielded results yet, the mechanism I've rigged up still isn't good enough for a decisive blow. I hope I catch something before I run out of bait. On a happier note, I feel I am getting closer to my companion as the nights grow colder and the need for warmth increases. Just the other day we almost fouched noses before she pulled away. Moral is important in these trying times, where we must rely on each other in order to survive."

Marrow rolled her eyes, "Are you done spouting nonsense, yet? It hasn't even been a day. Can youat least try to tone down the melodrama for a second? I think it's affecting my injury."

"Now who's being melodramatic?" Sumaru huffed, "Can't I just have a little fun? All this walking is boring."

"It's more boring for me to listen to you talk to yourself. Talk to me instead."

"Ok." Sumaru pushed his way through a section of branches and bushes, "So you can apparently transform? What's up with that?" A wave of pain spread from his shoulder and he rubbed at it.

Both Sumaru's shoulder and Marrow's chest were wrapped in sweet smelling herbs to try to speed up the healing process.

Marrow limped alongside him with her makeshift bandages, "That was my true form. I only use it when I really need to exert myself. What you see before you now is what could be called an energy saver mode." She coughed and then continued in a condescending tone, "So you can change your eye color now, what's up with that?"

Sumaru smirked as he thought of red eyes reflected in water, "It's called the Sharingan. It's a special power that I have."

"Special power, huh? What are you, a little kid? Is there a giant monster sealed in your belly, too?" Marrow snorted, "Whatever- Oh! Turn left! Around that tree!"

"What's to the left? All I see are more trees and bushes." Sumaru made a show of shading his eyes and looking around, "I hope that friend you mentioned this morning isn't imaginary. She is gonna help us right? I was joking earlier, but food is gonna be a problem, and I could use some new clothes, too. These ones are toast." Sumaru's stomach grumbled, "I could definitely go for some toast."

"Of course she'll help, she owes me one. Still, she can be hard to deal with, so just let me do the talking, got it?"

Sumaru waved Marrow off, "Yeah, yeah, I won't say anything too unforgivable."

"This is serious. You might die if things go wrong."

"Right." He ran his fingers over a few leaves, "So can you, like, turn into other things? Like a cute girl or something?"

Marrow looked at him for a moment, "Now I'm beginning to regret my decision to live on." She moved a few paces away from Sumaru.

"Come on, Marrow! I was just curious! It's not like that, don't move away!" With tears in his eyes, Sumaru reached for Marrow.

She bunny hopped just out of Sumaru's reach, "No, I think I'll keep my distance." When Sumaru rubbed sniffed, Marrow snapped at him, "Shut up! We're almost there."

"Really?! Which way is it?" Sumaru looked around wildly, "Uh, Marrow, are you sure you know where we're going? 'Cause I don't see anything."

Marrow cleared her throat and Sumaru looked back at her. She nodded up at something above her, "Don't freak out."

Sumaru looked up as he said, "Why would I freak out?"

"Hello there." There was a cute girl up in the trees. She wasn't you're regular bargain variety of cute girl either, her looks were more akin to one of those girl group idols. The incandescent flower in her ear stood out against her dark green hair, she had on some kind of leaf shirt. She lightly bit her lower lip and tried to hide it behind her hand, "Oh, are you part of that crimson demon clan?"

Her soft voice pulled at Sumaru's heartstrings, but he tore his eyes away to face Marrow, "Oh." Sumaru's sharingan glowed in the shade of the canopy, "Your friend is part spider." Then his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell backward into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Sumaru woke up, he didn't immediately move. _Huh_,_ it feels like I'm in a bed. When was the last time I was in a bed? It's so warm under the covers, and the mattress is so soft, too! It's like I'm in heaven! _"Your new friend isn't one of those kinds of guys, is he?" Sumaru kept his eyes closed. _That's Marrow's friend. _Her voice was so sweet, it was almost enough to make you forget that her lower half was a spider, "You know how much I hate it when people are scared of spiders. He's such a cutie, too."

She sounded honestly disappointed and it made Sumaru's pulse race. _She thinks I'm cute! Is that how all women see me? And they were all just too shy to approach me, weren't they?_ In Sumaru's mind the church bells were ringing in celebration of this discovery and he couldn't keep the tears from his eyes. _This is the happiest day of my life._

Then Marrow put a quick stop to those thoughts, "How long has it been since you've even seen a man? You really need to get out more, Tara." _So her name is Tara._ "As far as looks go, that guy is as average as they come." Sumaru still couldn't stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. Marrow continued, "Anyway, you don't even need to worry about that. You just surprised him is all. You know how weak humans can be."

"Marrow! You didn't tell him anything about me? Why?"

Marrow chuckled, "I wanted to see the look on his face, and I have to say he did not disappoint."

Tara cried, "Marrow!"

She squawked, "Totally worth it!"

Sumaru chose to open his eyes when he heard the sounds of a struggle. He was inside of some sort of tree house, if the leaves and branches growing through the walls were any indication. Still, the floor looked solid enough, there was even a bookshelf and a coffee table. In the middle of the floor on the rug, it looked like Tara had tried to wrap up Marrow in webs, but somehow managed to tie them both together.

Marrow spotted him first. She barked, "Sumaru, you're awake!"

"Perfect timing!" Tara yelped, "As you see, we seem to have gotten ourselves into a sticky situation."

"Ah." Sumaru threw off the incredibly comfy blanket and scooted to the edge of the bed.

Marrow grunted at him, "Maybe today, please."

Sumaru put his arms in a 'wait' motion, "It's a big bed." Then he noticed he was only in his boxer shorts, "Hey, where'd my clothes go?"

"Oh." Tara blushed, "They were dirty from the ground, so I took them off before you before putting you in the bed."

With a blank look on his face, Sumaru said, "I see." _She's so cute when she's embarrassed, I think my heart might burst!_ Then another thought struck him. _Wait... That means she's practically seen me naked!_ Now Sumaru was blushing.

"Any day now!" Marrow did not look happy.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Sumaru pushed off of the bed and shuffled up to the pair.

"Move faster! Do you have any idea what this stuff does to my fur?"

"I do not appreciate the way you refer to my silk!" Despite how upset it made her, Tara sounded much more like a kitten than she did a lion, "Even un-spun, it is still prized as one of the secret treasures of the forest!"

Sumaru stared. _She's so cute when she's upset._ Now that he had a chance, even her spider butt was cute. It wasn't spindly at all. _If I had to describe it in one word, I would definitely pick chunky._

Marrow hollered at the top of her lungs, "Great, you made it over here. What do you want, a medal? Do something!"

That snapped Sumaru out of his thoughts, "What am I even supposed do if you can't break out of it on your own? Isn't spider thread supposed to be sticky? If I just stick my hand in, there's no way I'll be able to help." Then Sumaru had a thought. A blush across his face and his hand twitched forward. His voice quivered, "Oh well, I guess I have no choice but to just reach in and try to pull it off. It's not my fault if my hand gets stuck and I can't pull it off."

"Hey." Sumaru's hand froze, inches away from where he was going to grasp the webs around the pair of nature spirits. Marrow was giving him a murderous look, "Where do you think you're putting that hand?"

"Huh?"

The guilt must've shone on Sumaru's face, because then Marrow said, "If you grope my friend, I'll kill you."

Sumaru gulped, "So what should I do?"

"Ah," Tara pulled at the thread with a finger, "My raw thread has a natural magic suppression effect. Anyone caught in it cannot use magic."

"Oh." Sumaru nodded, "That's why you didn't shred out of there with your wind magic."

Marrow nodded, "That's right. And on top of being a magic suppressant, it's ridiculously sticky and strong." She gave it a tug for good measure.

"But, if someone else were to use magic on them, my thread could weaken enough for us to break out of this." Tara smiled hopefully at Sumaru, "You're from the crimson demon clan, right? Then it should be easy for you to get us out of this."

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "I have no idea about any kind of demon clan, crimson or otherwise."

Tara's smile fell a little bit, "Is that so? Still, do you know any magic?" Sumaru nodded, "Well, you are Marrow's traveling companion, I am sure you know something strong enough to take care of my webs. Advanced magic is preferable, but intermediate magic would work just fine as well."

Sweat streamed down Sumaru's face. He turned away, "You see, about that..."

"About what?" Despite looking away, Sumaru was sure Tara had cocked her head to the side cutely.

Marrow snarled, "This idiot only knows basic skills!"

"Basic?!" Tara sounded horrified, "Is that true?"

Sumaru didn't look, but if he had, he was sure he would've felt ten times more embarrassed than he was already feeling standing there in his boxers. He tried to explain, "I was saving up my points for something really cool..." What he said next came out as a whisper, "And then I forgot how to spend them."

Tara gasped, "You forgot?!" Sumaru could feel her pitying gaze on his back.

"PFT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Who the hell forgets how to spend their points?!"

"It's not my fault, okay?!" Sumaru tried to shrug away Marrow's laughter, "It's just that by the time I realized what happened, it would look super dumb if I asked how to do it."

Marrow howled at him, "So you gave up?! Man, I knew you were a loser, but I didn't know you were that much of a loser!"

Sumaru turned back around, "Shut up! Who's the one who kicked your ass yesterday? Oh yeah! It was this loser with only basic skills!"

Tara looked between them, "Wait, you two fought each other? That's why you are both so hurt? And he won?" She gave Sumaru an appraising look.

Sumaru puffed out his chest, "Yeah, I guess I am pretty awesome aren't I?"

Marrow growled at him, "Hey now, we're getting off topic. Your freeze spell should work if you give it enough juice. Hurry up and make with the magic!"

"And the rest of that wasn't off topic?" Sumaru rolled his eyes. Then he focused for a moment and his eyes glowed red with the sharingan, "Whatever." Then he pointed his hand and incantation his spell, "Freeze!"

* * *

It was slow work freezing the webs off of them, the stuff was tough! Sumaru had to work in sections, making sure not to ice over too much of them without neglecting the webs themselves. He wasn't sure if nature spirits could get frostbite or not, but trapping them in a block of ice didn't seem like it was going to help. However, the sharingan turned out to be a big help in that process, what with it's ability to see in ridiculous detail.

While Sumaru worked, the girls chatted.

"Marrow says you are called Tanjun Sumaru?"

"Mhm."

Tara looked at him curiously, "What an unusual name, does it mean something?"

"I'd rather not say."

Marrow smirked at him, "It probably means something lame."

Sumaru gave her a look, "It would be so easy for my hand to slip and accidentally freeze over your mouth and nose."

She looked away, "Whatever."

"Um." Tara blushed, "I haven't properly introduced myself, have I?" Sumaru shook his head, and Tara giggled. Then she said, "Hi, I'm Tara."

"Hello Tara."

Marrow wasn't impressed, "What, you're not gonna tell him your real name? I thought you wanted to make friends, Tara." She clicked her tongue and turned her head.

"Marrow!" Tara puffed out her cheeks and tried to grab Marrow with her spider legs, but she didn't get too far.

Sumaru chimed in, "Hey, no moving. This is a delicate process."

Tara blushed, looking properly chastised, "Sorry."

Marrow smirked, "Yeah, you apologize to him."

"I can still freeze your face, Marrow."

The nature spirit gave a non-committal "Mm."

Sumaru rolled his eyes and refocused, "Now I'm curious. So Tara isn't you're real name?"

She shook her head, "No, my given name is really..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "...Arachne."

Sumaru blinked, "Huh, that doesn't sound anything like Tara."

"It's not supposed to." She shrugged, eyes still closed, "I hate that name."

Sumaru looked at her seriously, "How come?"

Tara puffed out her cheeks, "It's ugly. I want to be called by a name as cute as I am."

"Pft! Hahaha-!" Sumaru couldn't hold his laughter for even a moment.

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Sumaru waved her off, "It's just so funny."

"What's so funny?" There was a dangerous undercurrent in her soft words that made Sumaru stop and think about his words.

He gulped, "Well, everything you do is already so cute." Tara nodded. Sumaru licked his lips and continued, "I just always thought someone as cute as you wouldn't have any worries." Tara squinted at him and he hurriedly continued, "And besides, Arachne can be cute too! Don't you think so? Ara-chan?" _It's a bit of a stretch, but maybe this way she won't want to kill me?_

"Hmm..." It looked like she was mulling it over. Sumaru could see Marrow smirking, but he chose to ignore her. Sumaru's sharingan read what her lips were going to say and he couldn't help the smile that he broke into. Tara said, "Ara-chan, huh? I find that I like the sound of that." She looked at Marrow, "From now on, please call me Ara-chan."

Marrow rolled her eyes, "Whatever you want, Ara-chan."

The newly christened 'Ara-chan' sighed contentedly, "Yes, that will do very well."

"Alright, that should do it." Sumaru sat back to admire his work, "You two ought to be able to bust out now."

"Took you long enough." Marrow scoffed and started struggling.

Ara-chan tilted her head and smiled brightly, "Thank you very much, Su-kun!"

_My heart!_

**SNAP!**

In one bold move, Marrow tore the frozen webbing off of both of them. As a completely unintentional side effect, most of Ara-chan's leaf covering came off with it.

"Kyaa!"

Sumaru drank in the image of Ara-chan desperately trying to cover the cavity in her chest that was clearly filled with tiny skittering spiders.

"Huh?" _Huh?_ Sumaru's brain was out to lunch again, and so was the rest of him. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed then and there.

* * *

_Someone's shaking me._

"Hey Sumaru! Wake the hell up!" That someone was called Marrow, and she was none too gentile with him.

"Oh, Su-kun! Please be okay!" From the sound of it, Arachne wasn't too far away either.

_Arachne, huh? Who knew she was one of those types? She's such a cutie, too.__ Maybe I should just lay here until the end of time? _Sumaru couldn't the help the heavy sigh that came out when he looked at Arachne. Marrow was on top of him, and he looked at her with dead eyes, "Oh. Were you trying to take advantage of me? Don't let me stop you, I'll just go back to sleep."

Arachne grabbed his arm, "Please don't be that way, Su-kun. I'm still the super cute Ara-chan!" She flashed Sumaru a million dollar smile and even posed for him, but...

_I can't un-see it. I'll never look at idols the same way again. _Sumaru put a hand on Arachne's shoulder, "It's fine. You don't need to make me feel better." And then another sigh escaped from him.

Tears welled up in Arachne's eyes, "Don't do that, Su-kun." She sniffed, "I thought you really might be the one for me." She clasped her hands together, "I was so worried when you fainted again. I thought, 'What if he hates me?' Oh, you must be so disgusted, Su-kun!" She sobbed, "Marrow already explained everything to me. You were unconscious for so long, I had time to make you special clothes and gather so much food for you on your journey." The teardrops ran down her face and she shivered, "Please don't hate me."

As Arachne spoke, Sumaru's heart softened and the light returned to his eyes. _What even is this? It feels like something in my chest is- I don't even know!_ Before he knew what was happening, his hand was resting on Arachne's, "I don't hate you." He made eye contact, "I was suddenly reminded of the distance between us. I'm a simple human. This flesh is weak and temporary. Though my heart yearns to take the plunge, it could never work out between us." Sumaru wiped Arachne's tears, "Don't cry. Perhaps we will meet again. In this life, or another."

Arachne gasped, "B-b-but I-? My heart... Wah!" She fled the room, sobbing.

* * *

Arachne didn't return even when it was time for Sumaru and Marrow to go.

Sumaru hefted a bag over his shoulder, "Is it really alright for us to just leave like this?" He wore the clothes that Arachne had made for him, and chief among them was the black spider-silk long coat. The web patterns woven into the fabric would glisten in the light.

"It'll be fine. She's just repaying a favor anyway." Marrow waggled her eyebrows at him, "I'm more interested in where you were hiding that romantic side of yourself. Why don't you bring that out more? It's so entertaining to watch!"

Sumaru shrugged, "Honestly? I have no idea where that came from. It didn't even feel like I was the one talking."

"You should definitely work on bringing that out more." Marrow's tail swished as her stubby legs carried her ahead of him.

"Uhuh." Sumaru tugged at the cuffs of his coat, "What's this?"

Marrow looked back at him, "What's what?"

"Looks like Ara-chan left me a present." Sumaru smiled, "She's so sweet."

"So, what is it? What'd she give you?" Marrow stood on her rear legs to get a look at the small box Sumaru was holding.

"Let me see, it is..." Sumaru pulled the top off of the wooden box. He blinked, "It's a spider pin for my jacket. I'm gonna put it on right now." He held it out for Marrow to see before he attached it to his lapel.

Marrow squinted at the subtle piece of jewelry before she blew air out of her nose, "Do what you like." Then she turned and smacked him with her tail.

Sumaru took his first steps, "I most certainly will."

Marrow laughed, "You're so dumb, Sumaru!"

"Why the name calling? You furball!"

And together, the two of them made their way out of the forest.

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**As always, let me know your thoughts. I'm open to questions. I'm going to be making gratuitous use of artistic licence when it comes to world building and that's because Sumaru is not moving in the same direction as Kazuma at all****.**

**Until next time.**

**Bye!**


	8. What about the Sharingan!

**Hey guys,**

**As usual it's been a little while, but I haven't died and I definitely haven't forgotten about this project of mine.**

**Anyway, let's get to it.**

* * *

Sumaru trudged between the trees in the forest. Marrow was padding along beside him.

He sighed, "I'm tired of this, it's nothing but trees and grass wherever I look." Then he eyed Marrow, "It's been three days. I'm starting to wonder if you even know the way out of here."

"Haah?" Marrow didn't try to hide her glare, "Is that how you talk to the one who used a precious favor to make your life easier? Ha! I even had Arachne heal you while you were passed out like a wimp!" Her head lolled, "What an ungrateful guy, I can't believe I lost to someone like that."

Sumaru grumbled, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can't you figure it out?" Marrow grinned and adopted an innocent expression. A chill ran through Sumaru when he saw it, "0w0. Oh weww, I guess it can't be hewped that youw widdle baby bwain can't compwehend anyting. 0w0." Then she skipped ahead on her stubby legs.

Sumaru's energy left him, and he stared, "I've been insulted, but I'm too sickened to respond."

Marrow half faced back at him with bowling ball eyes, "0w0. What's wong? Did your itty-bitty weggy-weggies get aww tiwed out alweady? 0w0. Oh you poow baby. 0w0."

As Marrow walked back over, Sumaru pleaded, "Please stop that, you're freaking me out. Marrow, no! Don't come any closer, don't look at me with those eyes! It's creepy!"

"0w0. You'we so mean, Sumawu! 0w0." Then Marrow looked at his face and grinned with all of her teeth, "You really are a wimp."

Sumaru couldn't help the blush of embarrassment, "I-I am not!"

"Uhuh. Seems like it was a fluke that you even survived those goblins, let alone that you beat me. I'm jealous." Marrow's tail swished, "You're really lucky."

When Marrow said those words, Sumaru curled in on himself, and his eyes lost their light. In a dead voice, he said, "You're wrong."

"- - -? - -'- - - - - - - - - - -."

Sumaru didn't hear Marrow's response, and the rest world seemed to fall away. He was looking into a place of the past.

* * *

_It was the park by his house. As a child, he used to play ball with his classmates. He could see his younger self scrambling around among the children, running into each other, laughing, and smiling, all while trying to get in the way and steal the ball from each other. The ball was kicked, and it bumped into a group of high-schoolers who happened to pass by at that time. Sumaru couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew what would happen next._

_There was an argument. Among the children, someone cried. When one of the high-schoolers made to throw the ball somewhere far, one of he little ones darted out of the crowd. It was little Sumaru. And with tears in his eyes and snot running down his face, he threw his body into the older boy's legs. Together, the boys toppled, and the older one hit his head. Little Sumaru clutched the ball as he stumbled to his feet. The high-schoolers showed angry faces._

_Something else was said._

_The children fled. Little Sumaru was grabbed. The ball fell._

* * *

Sumaru felt a hot wind on his face. It smelled like old meat.

"Don't say anything if you want me to eat you."

Sumaru's eyes opened, "You stink, Marrow."

"Oh!" Marrow retreated from Sumaru with the look of a child caught in the act, "H-hey there, just making sure you're still alive."

"Uhuh." Sumaru looked around, "Did you move me?"

"No, the place is the same. You weren't moving, so I thought you died."

"Oh?" _Did I fall over?_ Sumaru shook his head and pushed himself up, "Nevermind, let's keep moving."

"You say that like I'm the one who stopped." Marrow jumped ahead of Sumaru, "Where are you even trying to go? You're not strong enough to take on Hans, what are you gonna do when he shows up?"

"Huh? What about that guy?" Sumaru's cheek was suddenly itchy, "It's a big world, right? Honestly? I was hoping that if we wandered far enough away, there'd be no chance for him to find us."

"So in other words, you're running away like a coward." Marrow shot him a look on contempt.

Sumaru shrugged, "What do you expect me to do?" _It's not like I know anyone._

Marrow ignored Sumaru's inner thoughts, "Find a master! Train on the road! Work as an adventurer!" There was no hesitation, she said it like it was obvious.

Alarm bells went off in Sumaru's head, "Huh? You want me to fight that guy?!"

"What happened to your words from earlier? When you told me, 'Die now or die later' it left an impression on me, but now I see that it was only the talk of a coward who can do nothing on his own."

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

Sumaru got a close look at Marrow's jagged teeth when she shouted in his face, "Literally anything would be better than just mindlessly running away!" Then she sighed and looked at him seriously, "Look." Her chocolate eyes searched his face, "You should know this already, but as a nature spirit I'm part of the Demon Lord's army."

_I'm confused,_ "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You really are the most-" Marrow growled, "Whatever. I'll spell it out so your puny little pea brain can understand it."

"Hey!"

Marrow headbutted Sumaru in the gut, "I'm in the Demon Lord's army, know what that means?" On the ground clutching his stomach, Sumaru groaned. Marrow continued, "Besides Hans, I have my own superiors. I know, even someone as amazing as me doesn't report directly to any of the generals." She cackled for a moment, and then shook her head, "When I don't report back, they're gonna send someone to investigate. Probably some small fry nobody I could take in my sleep."

Sumaru was up on his knees and had his Sharingan activated, he was not going to fall for another surprise attack, "Then what's the problem?"

"You still don't get it? Ah, why am I surprised? You're an idiot."

"Stop calling me an idiot!"

Marrow tilted her head, "But that's what you are."

"Hmph." Sumaru crossed his arms with a frown, "Ignoring what you just said, hurry up and tell me. Why does that matter?"

Marrow stood on her hind legs to tower over the kneeling Sumaru, "Because, dumbass, when that nobody goes missing they'll know something's up and they'll send someone stronger. They'll keep sending stronger and stronger guys until it's someone we can't beat. At best, we'll both be killed. Now do you get it?"

Sumaru pushed himself up to his feet, looking very serious, "Yeah, I think I do now. I just have one question."

Marrow blew sharply from her nose, "I'm running out of patience. What's your question?"

Sumaru scratched at his cheek and chuckled nervously, "Why would the first guy go missing?"

Marrow sighed, "You really are a hopeless idiot."

* * *

Those were the last words that Marrow said for a while.

From then on Marrow ignored everything Sumaru said or did, and it wasn't long before Sumaru gave up it. So, while the two of them were walking in silence, Sumaru's thoughts turned inward.

_Getting stronger, huh?_ Sumaru absently looked up at the tree branches._ When I first came to this world, leveling up seemed like the obvious way to do things. Masutaro seems to think differently, but is that because he turned out to be a monster?_ Sumaru grabbed his adventurer card. _Even though I didn't level up, I guess my stats did slightly increase._ Sumaru hummed in consideration._Besides focusing on stats and raw strength, what about increasing the effectiveness of my technique?_ An image of a sage training under a waterfall appeared in his mind's eye. _Yeah, that's easier said than done._ He sighed.

Then the skills on his card caught Sumaru's eye. _Wind shield__? Where did that one come from?_ Out of curiosity, he activated the skill, "Wind shield." He felt a light breeze all over his body, and the leaves of the bush that he brushed past were finely shredded. It was over a moment later, and Marrow spared him a bewildered glance before she turned away with a snort.

Sumaru was confused before he remembered, "Oh yeah, Sharingan." He smiled. _I must've copied it from Marrow._ Then he sank back into his thoughts._ The Sharingan, huh? I asked for it in the spur of the moment, but could it be really great?_ He thought back to the anime that he used to watch._ I'm already stronger now that I have these eyes, right? I beat Marrow, didn't I? _Sumaru summoned dual pinwheels in twin pools of red, and he looked at the world with his new eyes. _Now that I think about it, why don't I just leave this power on all the time? I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner._ He gave himself a mental pat on the back. _I'm so smart!_

* * *

Later, Sumaru was laying with his face in the dirt.

Marrow looked down at him, "Way to go, champ."

If Sumaru had the energy to move his head, he would've glared at her. He settled for mentally shouting. _Maybe cut down on the sarcasm and give a guy a hand?!_

He'd spent the rest of the day weaving between bushes and dodging the leaves that fell from the trees. He'd lost track of time looking at everything with Sharingan vision, and by the end of the day his body couldn't move anymore. Marrow wouldn't even roll him over.

Sumaru sucked in shallow breaths through his nose. _Running out of MP sucks._

Marrow curled up a small distance away, and Sumaru could barely see her smirk in the darkness. She mumbled, "Sleep well, asshole."

_What is she mad about now?_

* * *

Marrow was still acting strange the next day.

Sumaru glanced at his furry companion._ Should say something?_

He was practicing with his mana and observing it with his Sharingon. It was much easier, now that he could see the magic flow.

"Hmph." Marrow had glanced at Sumaru's face before looking away with her nose turned up.

_Nothing escapes these eyes of mine. _Sumaru took the initiative, "Hey, Marrow. You've been acting weirder than usual. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" She looked offended.

_Did I say something wrong?_

"It doesn't concern _you._" She spoke with an accusatory tone, "You should be worried that your pink eye doesn't get any worse."

"Huh? What does the Sharingan have to do with anything?"

Marrow exploded (Figuratively, of course), "What does it-?! It has everything to do with it!" Her hackles raised.

Sumaru's Sharingan reacted,_ Whoa, she's about to release her transformation! _Sumaru managed to backpedal enough so that he wasn't crushed under the sudden mass of Marrow's true form.

"Aaargh!" She smashed the ground with her huge paws and roared in Sumaru's face, "Do you know how frustrating it is to have your hard work stolen in an instant?! You used my magic! Mine! If it weren't for that deal we made, I would've torn your throat out right then!"

Sumaru sagged from his combat stance, "Oh..." He looked down. _Is that all I can say?_ His face burned with shame, and in a small voice he said, "I didn't know you felt that way."

"Didn't know? Didn't know?!" Marrow's breath shook. She was practically frothing at the mouth, "Anyone would feel murderous with a stupid little thief in front of their faces!" Then she lunged for Sumaru's throat.

"Shit!" He was already moving out of the way, but it still felt too close for comfort. He tried to shout over the murder sounds coming out of his companion, "C-calm down, Marrow! We can talk about this!"

"Talk? I was going to ignore your transgression until my promise was fulfilled, but you brought it up yourself! It's not up to me anymore!" Marrow's eyes were practically bloodshot, and her voice was thick with loathing, "No one steals from the great Marrow and lives!"

Sumaru moved past Marrow's next lunge. _What do I do?! She's going berserk, but I can't just skewer her again, right? Brain, do you have anything?_

_Maybe she'll calm down if you trip her?_

_That's a good plan!_

Sumaru didn't waste time. On Marrow's next pass, he summoned his mana and extended it in front of Marrow's charging legs. A moment later, she was sliding through the dirt with her face. With heavy breathes, he smirked, "You ready to listen, yet?"

"Yeah...No." Marrow was back on her feet in a moment, and she spun around with a howl.

Sumaru's eyes widened. _Shit! That wasn't a good plan at all! Now she's even more mad!_

Marrow glared at Sumaru and the wind swirled around her. Then she charged, and the wind pushed her along even faster than before.

_Ha! Even at that speed, if you're only gonna charge right at me I won't even need the Sharingan to see it coming-!_ As Sumaru was moving to dodge, his foot slipped on a wet patch of grass.

_It was at this moment, he knew. He fucked up._

_Not helping, brain!_ Sumaru mentally screamed at himself. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't recover in time to avoid getting ripped apart by Marrow's jaws, and he wasn't nearly strong enough to hold her off with brute force either. His mind stopped, he couldn't come up with a way for his magic to let him survive, let alone get him out of this. Without hope, he looked right into Marrow's eyes and pleaded, "Stop!"

Sumaru's but hit the ground and he reflexively reached to rub it, then he froze in the middle of the action, "...I'm not dead?" He looked up, confused. Marrow stood over him like a statue. Sumaru checked her sides. _Well, she's still breathing. Huh?_ When he looked, Sumaru noticed something weird about Marrow. _Is that-? The Sharingan?! _Sumaru stood up without any reaction from Marrow, "...But why?"

_Never mind that. Say what you need to say before she snaps out of whatever this is._

Sumaru nodded, "Marrow, I need you to listen. I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean to copy your spell, but it's not something that I have control over with these eyes of mine." Sumaru covered his face with a hand, but he still looked between his fingers, "I can't say I know what it means to dedicate yourself to something. I'm just some brat who doesn't know anything, after all. I don't know your story at all, I can't even begin to say I understand. But I can see that you must've worked hard to get here. You're strong. You're so strong that if I didn't happen to have these eyes, then I'd be dead." Then he bowed at the waist and shouted, "In light of that, please forgive me! If you want, I won't use your skills again! I insist!"

"..."

"Um, Marrow?" Sumaru looked up from his bow. Marrow was still just standing there. Sumaru grit his teeth and yelled, "Hey, I poured my heart into that speech! At least say something!"

"Huh? What?" Marrow blinked and her eyes were back to normal. She shook her head, "What's going on?" She shrunk down to her regular size and eyed Sumaru, "Where you doing something?"

Sumaru blinked. _What the hell is she going on about now-?!_

_Just roll with it._

_...Okay, brain. Just for you. _With a sigh, Sumaru shook his head, "No, I wasn't doing anything. Anyway, are we cool?"

Marrow tilted her head, "Why wouldn't we be?"

Sumaru just shook his head again, "I have no idea."

* * *

"Hey Marrow, tell me out yourself." They'd spent the rest of the day walking and Sumaru was bored.

"What's up with you?" Marrow tilted her head, "You're acting weird today."

_I'm acting weird?! _Sumaru held back his irritation, "Nothing, I'm just curious."

"Curious, huh?" Marrow swept her tail across a bush, "It's a long story."

"You're actually considering it?"

"Not for much longer with that attitude."

"Alright, alright." Sumaru waved away Marrow's lukewarm hostility. It was nothing like before. Then he spread his arms, "We've got plenty of time, we're only walking after all."

Marrow gave him serious a look, "Are you sure? I don't do questions, and if you interrupt me I'll tear out your throat."

Sumaru gulped, "Go ahead." His mouth was suddenly dry.

Marrow nodded, "Fine. When I was just a pup-"

* * *

_**To be continued!**_

* * *

**Cliffhanger, I know.**

**So what did you think? Are you excited to learn about Marrow's origins? Was the 0w0 section cringe enough?**

**This chapter was about more character development, and next chapter will see Marrow telling her story as she and Sumaru make their way out of the forest. As for my plans after that? I'm excited for what I have planned.**

**Muahahahahahaha!**

***Ahem***

**Thank you all for reading, please look forward to the next chapter.**


	9. Story Time!

**Hey guys, I felt inspired so I was able to get this one out with some speed.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_**Last time...**_

_"Hey Marrow, tell me about yourself..."_

* * *

"When I was just a pup, I was already the biggest in the litter." Marrow puffed out her chest, "I was the obvious choice to be the next leader."

The sunbeams streamed through the gaps in the forest canopy as Sumaru and Marrow hiked between the trees. Amid the speckled light, Sumaru hid a frown. _Leader of what?_

"Ah, you wouldn't know anything about that would you?" Marrow turned a smug face toward Sumaru, "I doubt you've ever had followers before."

Sumaru sighed and mumbled, "It's still the beginning and you're already off topic. Is there something wrong with your brain?"

"Wha-!?" Marrow was stunned for a moment, then she flexed her claws and menaced, "I'm curious to see exactly what's wrong with your brain. How about I take a look inside?"

_Quick, change the subject!_ Sumaru responded, "So you were the obvious choice to be the next leader. Leader of what?"

"Hm? The pack, of course." She said it like it was obvious.

An image came to Sumaru's mind and he cringed, "So you're saying there's more of you frolicking around somewhere?!" He quickly looked around.

"What kind of weird thing are you imagining? And I don't frolic!" Marrow sighed and shook her head, "What am I gonna do with you?"

"That's what I should be saying."

"Shut up." Then Marrow explained, "Spirits don't have a physical body. If they're killed, they just reform later on." Sumaru nodded along. She continued, "I'm the same. If this body gets killed, then I'll be reborn some time later."

Sumaru rubbed his chin, "Reborn, huh?"

"Anyway, this time around I was born to a white wolf family and I was going to be the leader. I mean, I'm a spirit! There's no way I would lose to regular monsters, right?"

_Is she telling me or asking me?_ Sumaru shrugged, "Sure?"

"That's right, there's no way a monster could beat a spirit! I was so ready to become the alpha! I almost had it!"

"Did something happen?"

"You could say that." Marrow's face darkened, "Just when I was about to take the position for myself, I was ambushed. It was the runt of the litter, the one who was supposed to be the weakest! He hid his true nature well, I had know idea about it." Marrow grimaced, "My guard was down, and he was a spirit as well. I was taken down in one blow."

"Oh."

"I mean, how could I have known that another nature spirit would have been reborn at the same time as me? He didn't say anything about it, and he was the runt of all things! The runt! The one who should be the weakest!"

"You said that already."

"Damn it. That coward ran me off after I lost, too. I was too weak to resist and barely escaped." Marrow huffed, "He knew that I would've taken control if I stayed."

"Wow, you had more depth than I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

It took awhile to calm Marrow back down.

"Ahem. After I left the pack, I decided to get stronger. So I went on a journey to find the strongest opponents that I could. Some things happened and I ended up joining the Demon Lord's army."

"So you weren't apart of it to start with?"

"Well, you can think of nature spirits like me as a kind of special monster, if you like. Because of that, there are always quests for adventurers to kill us. We all end up joining sooner or later."

Sumaru looked down, "I never thought of that..."

"Of course not! You're head is empty after all!" Marrow laughed and some blood lust came out, "I don't need your pity. After all, I joined up so I could kill as many strong adventurers as I like."

Sumaru tried to laugh it off, but his voice came out weak, "R-right. Eheheh." _I forgot she was like this._

"Hoh? Are you scared I'll gobble you up while you're asleep?"

"No way."

"Wahahahaha! No hesitation, that's what I like to see!" Marrow slapped Sumaru on the leg with her tail, "Well, I say I'm apart of the army, but I was able to make a deal that's similar to how you adventurers work with the kingdom. I travel around and kill any adventurers I come across and cause mayhem for the kingdom, and I get to use the army's resources when I want to. It's give and take."

"Ooh!"

"You don't have to sound that impressed." Despite her words, Marrow was smiling.

That's how Sumaru and Marrow passed their time in the forest.

* * *

The next day, as Sumaru finished off a monster that had chosen to attack them, he had a thought.

"Hey Marrow, I'm curious about something."

"What?" She was chewing on the beasts leg.

"You mentioned before how you went on a journey after you were kicked out of your pack."

She growled around the leg bone, "I would be fine if we didn't talk about that."

Sumaru continued, "How come you didn't go back to the pack as soon as you were back in top condition? None of those wolves would've been a match for you, I'm sure."

She spat a bone out of her mouth, "Are you an idiot? That ass is almost as strong as me. It's close enough that if anything interfered it would weigh heavily on the outcome. That's the reason I went on a journey in the first place. It's so I can obtain the power for an overwhelming victory over that bastard."

"Oh."

Marrow snarked, "'Oh' is right!" Then she went back to her gnawing.

* * *

One day near the edge of the forest, while Sumaru and Marrow were foraging for food, he said, "Hey Marrow, what can you tell me about the demon army?"

Marrow didn't look up from what she was doing, "It's an army of demons, complete with stuffy guys telling you what to do. What more is there to tell?"

Sumaru sat back against a tree, "Didn't anything interesting happen while you were there?"

Marrow shrugged, "It's a regular army. The little guys mess around and the big guys tell them what to do."

"That's it?"

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know, maybe on Wednesdays the generals throw a party? You know, something interesting like that."

"What kind of army does that? And what's a Wednesday? Is it tasty?"

Sumaru sighed, "I should've kept my mouth shut."

"You're damn right. Instead of asking stupid questions, help me track down something to eat."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"Hey, uh, Marrow?"

"What is it, Sumaru?"

The pair had transitioned from the dense forest into a sprawling plains a week ago. Marrow was curled up by the campfire, while Sumaru rummaged through his bag.

Sumaru looked up from the bag long enough to say, "We have a problem."

"Hm?" Marrow sniffed the air before she rested her head back on the grass, "I don't smell anything or anyone, besides us. So what are you worried about?" Then a mischievous look crossed Marrow's canine features, "Could it be? You've finally reached your limit and your about to succumb to your perverted urges? You've fallen for me haven't you?"

"This is serious, Marrow." Sumaru had pulled everything out of his bag. He showed her the barren insides, "We're out of food! What are we gonna do?"

Marrow blinked, "Let's just hunt like we usually do."

Sumaru swept his arm at the land around them, "And what exactly is there to hunt, this time?" There was nothing but grass as far as the eye could see.

"What are you, an idiot?" Marrow deadpanned, before she puffed out her chest and held her head high, "Even if you can't see it, there's bound to be prey somewhere. With my nose, there's no problem."

"Then by all means, Marrow-sensei, show me how it's done."

"I could do without the sarcasm." Marrow unraveled herself and took a moment to stretch.

_She's almost like a hairy snake._ Sumaru couldn't help the thought that came to him as he watched Marrow writhe around. When she started padding around on her stubby little legs and sniffing the ground, he posed a question, "Hey, Marrow. How come instead of just shrinking yourself normally, you change into a weird form like that?"

"Sniff sniff. It's a personal choice. Why, is something wrong with it? Sniff sniff. Besides, if anyone I knew saw my true form at the size of a common house dog, I would never be able to show my face again." Marrow suddenly pulled her face out of the grass and shouted, "What are you doing here?!"

Sumaru pointed to his own face, "I've been here the whole time."

Marrow stalked closer with a snarl, "Not you, idiot. The idiot behind you."

Sumaru turned to look, "Behind-?"

"You know I really do not appreciate being called an idiot, Miss Marrow." Blond hair and blue eyes, the man was beautiful. He wore a clean business suit and carried a briefcase. He looked like a foreign CEO for a large company, the kind that drive expensive cars and go to extravagant parties. Completely human, except for the bat wings poking out of his head.

"Who are you?" That was all Sumaru could ask.

"...He's my handler."

Sumaru's head whipped around to look at her, "You're handler? What are you, a gigolo?"

Marrow popped her neck, "The army doesn't have a system like your guild, so cases like mine are handled on an individual basis. I let him know what I've been up to every now and then, and he handles everything else. So he's my handler."

The man cleared his throat, "Miss Marrow, I am your intermediary contact. I much prefer that you use my actual title instead of one that you decided on your own." He wrinkled his nose, "It gives the impression that what we are doing is indecent."

"No way, too stuffy."

The man sighed, "For now, that is beside the point." Then he pulled a paper out of his brief case and cleared his throat. He spoke in a clear tone of authority, "You have missed yet another of your required appointments Miss Marrow. That is your third strike, meaning-"

Marrow interupted, "Third?! I don't remember anything like that at all!"

He tapped the paper with his other hand, "The first incident: you missed your second ever appointment because, 'It was too much trouble.'"

Sumaru looked at Marrow. _I'm not surprised._

Marrow growled, "What are you looking at?"

Sumaru didn't hesitate, "A deadbeat."

"Grr... I'll deal with you later." Then she focused on the business man, "You told me I got a pass that time."

"Depending on your reason!" The man rubbed his temple, "Not showing up because it is inconvenient is not a good reason at all."

Marrow didn't back down, "Well that's just one time-"

"The second incident: You ate your last intermediary contact because you could not 'stand to look at his face any longer.'"

Marrow averted her eyes, "Why bring up ancient history? Renaldo was a complete idiot, he would've caused more harm than good so I figured he'd do the most good as fuel for the cause."

Sumaru's eyes widened. _She really did eat somebody! _Then he realized. _Wait, why am I surprised? She tried to eat me, too._

The man ignored her, "This is your third strike Miss Marrow, meaning that you have lost your rights as a freelance agent and are to be readmitted into the general forces until such a time that you prove yourself reformed." He nodded, and then finally noticed Sumaru. The man's face scrunched, "What is that thing doing here?"

Sumaru grit his teeth, "That thing has a name! It's Sumaru and don't you forget it!" Then he cracked his knuckles and let his Sharingan blaze to life, "What's your name anyway? It would be awkward if I put Marrow's second handler on your gravestone."

"Oh! I just picked him up recently. He's some kind of weird Crimson demon hybrid." Marrow puffed up proudly.

_Oi, don't look proud when you call me weird. Don't call me weird at all!_

The man's expression relaxed to a slight frown, "Ah. Now I can see the resemblance." If the man had glasses, he definitely would've pushed them up his nose. He looked Sumaru up and down, "It's my first time seeing a hybrid." He turned back to Marrow, "You can bring your servant as well, and hopefully he will have more integrity than his master."

_What?_ Sumaru stepped toward the man, "Now wait just a minute-!"

Marrow growled, "Who says we'll even go with you, Incubus?"

_Incubus? You mean like a male Succubus?_ Sumaru thought back to a show he'd seen late at night.

At that moment, two stomachs grumbled.

The man's blue eyes twinkled, "I happened to overhear what you were saying just now. If you continue, you'll starve." He clutched onto his brief case, "...I have food."

Marrow turned up her nose, "You think you can buy me with just the promise of food? Fool. Even if we have to go hungry for a while, we'll find something."

The incubus made a face, and the way he spoke changed, "Marrow, can you swallow your pride for even one minute and do what you agreed to? The contract you signed is clear. If you refuse to follow through, then you'll be made a target for the army, on the same level as those damn humans. I only care because of our work history together, otherwise I wouldn't have wasted my time." He straightened his tie, "Because I'm in a hurry, I'll only ask once. Will you come back to the army? I need your answer right now, I left a cake in the oven before I came out here."

"That's it!"

Marrow's sudden outburst drew Sumaru's attention. _Did she snap?_

When he looked, there was a waterfall of slobber dropped from Marrow's jaw. She licked her lips and shouted, "Let's go right now!"

Sumaru face-palmed. _She really did snap._

The incubus clapped and showed us a handsome smile, "Excellent! Then I'll take you there right now." A glowing circle appeared under our feet.

Sumaru's eyes widened, "Wait a minute, who said I-"

* * *

"-agreed to any of this?!" Sumaru gasped. It was as if the world had blinked. He rubbed his eyes.

"Shut up you! Incubus' food is the best around, especially the sweets. Now take me to the cake!"

Sumaru watched Marrow bounce around the handsome businessman with wide eyes. There were tents around them, and Sumaru could see the shadow of a wall over their tops.

"Yes, yes. Right this way, Miss Marrow." The incubus cast a sideways glace at Sumaru, "You, follow."

Sumaru nodded and absently obeyed. _So that was teleportation? It felt weird. Almost like my head just came out of the water._

The incubus led them between the tents and away from the wall up to a large entryway. They came to a castle and entered through a side door. The incubus gestured to a table set, "Please have a seat, Miss Marrow. I'll make some tea."

They sat down and the incubus left. The door creaked as it closed.

Sumaru tapped his fingers on the simple wood table, "I can't believe you, Marrow. What happened to your whole, 'I don't want to join the army' attitude?"

Marrow slumped so her head was resting on the table and flailed her stubby paws, "I didn't think he would come himself."

"What, your handler? The incubus? Why does that matter?" Sumaru kicked his feet up and balanced on the back two legs of the chair.

"You really are an idiot." Marrow huffed, "His name is Incubus, dumbass."

"Well excuse me for not assuming every dwarf's name is dwarf and every elf's name is elf."

"What are you talking about? He's a succubus." Marrow smirked when she saw Sumaru's shocked expression. She launched into an explanation with a tone of superiority, "Succubi are a race of women that live off of the life force of men. When they have a kid, if it's a girl then she's a succubus, and if it's a boy then he's human. Normally. There's one exception."

Arms crossed, Sumaru nodded along, "Incubus."

Marrow made a show of being impressed, "Oh, it's learning."

"Shut up and talk."

"Incubus is the name for a male succubus."

"Uhuh."

Marrow shook her head, "You don't get it yet. There is only ever one Incubus at a time, and after each one dies a new one is born." Marrow looked at Sumaru with a half lidded gaze, "Every Incubus is the king of the succubi."

"The king?" Something didn't make sense to Sumaru, "If he's a king, then why is he a glorified social worker?"

"Do you see a Succubus country anywhere? Even kings have to eat."

Sumaru absently cleaned the wax from his ear, "Uhuh. If his food's so good, why doesn't he just open a restaurant?"

Marrow had a wistful look on her face, "I know right? It's such a waste." Then her tone changed to something conspiratorial, "I heard he's doing it because he owes the demon king a huge debt."

Sumaru inspected his ear and blew away what had stuck to it, "Huh, I guess even this world has debt."

Marrow gave him a weird look, "Why wouldn't it?"

Sumaru shrugged, "Who knows?"

"Whatever, let's stop here." Marrow's ears perked up and she licked her lips, "I smell cake!"

The door swung open, and Incubus strode in wearing his business suit and holding a platter with both hands, "Here you are, Miss Marrow."

_Isn't that way too fast? He said he left it in the oven, but we weren't talking for that long. It's a professional job, too?! What gives?_ As he looked at the pastry in Incubus' hands, Sumaru's mouth started salivating. His stomach growled, along with Marrow's. _Why do I care? I'm hungry!_

Together, Sumaru and Marrow launched themselves at the cake.

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**What did you guys think? A little backstory, a little world building, and even a little plot progression! Over all I'd say it's pretty decent.**

**Sumaru and Marrow spent about a month in the forest all together, and when they ran out of food they resorted to hunting. Of course, Marrow could eat a whole deer herself, it's no wonder they ran out.**

**So yeah, they're in the demon army now. I bet you didn't expect that development, huh? I feel pretty proud of myself. It's gonna be a riot whenever they run into Hans again.**

**Until next time, bye!**


	10. Army Life, Start!

**Hey everyone!**

**Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my other stories. I've just been excited about this one.**

**I hope you enjoy what I've been cooking up.**

* * *

Sumaru stood in a stone room. Morning light shone through the tall twin windows, and he could see soldiers doing drills and formations. There were too many for him to quickly count.

_The demon army, huh? How did I end up here?_

* * *

_After Sumaru and Marrow finished gorging on the delicious cake and were laying on the floor with their distended stomachs, Incubus cleared his throat and pulled a paper from his coat pocket, "Ahem. I have your orders for dispatch here."_

_"Uhuh..." Sumaru and Marrow answered in delirious harmony._

_"Miss Marrow, your prowess in combat has been proved time and time again, you're going straight to the front lines." Incubus turned a cold glare toward Sumaru, "Your servant however remains untested in the eyes of the higher ups. As such, he will be sent for training among the general infantry. If he proves himself, he will be permitted to join you on the battlefield. Until such a time, you will have to do without your servant."_

_"Uhuh..."_

* * *

Sumaru's jaw clenched. _Damn that Incubus. What did I ever do to him?_

A stack of papers tapped against the desk, grabbing Sumaru's attention, "Alright, everything looks like it's in order." There was a man sitting across from him. He leaned forward and Sumaru got a good look at his face. Blue skin on a stern face with two stubby horns poking out of his forehead. He seemed pretty par for the course for a modern oni, especially with his pencil mustache and military fatigues. His smile felt sarcastic, "Welcome to the twelfth division of the Demon Army. I am Commander Spleen and you will be training according to our very strict regiment here at Baronfall keep." He spoke as if someone had ordered a coffee, "You will be expected to-"

Sumaru put up his hand, "Wait, let me get one thing strait." When Spleen nodded, Sumaru continued, "This isn't the Demon King's Castle?"

The oni behind the desk scoffed at Sumaru, "What gave you that impression? This is where the more difficult soldiers get sent for remedial training." Spleen smirked, "I can only imagine the kind of trouble you're attached to, since you've been sent here for your basic training."

Sumaru muttered, "Damn it Marrow."

"Oh? So you're connected with that feisty nature spirit, eh?" The man looked him up and down, then he smirked, "We're gonna have fun with you."

"..." Sumaru squinted at the demon, "...So am I done here, or are there a few dozen more papers for me to sign?" Then he adopted a thoughtful look, "The health care package is a lot more cohesive than I thought."

"Pft. Who do you think we are? Humans? Hahahahahah!" The demon slapped his desk and waved Sumaru off, "That's just a little joke around here. Take this and pick up your basic equipment from the armory," He tossed a punched ticket on the table, "Now get out of my office."

Sumaru grabbed the ticket and fled the room as fast as he could.

* * *

Commander Spleen's office was on the third floor of the keep, overlooking the huge pavilion that made up the infantry's training ground, so Sumaru and his guide passed through quite a few halls and stairways on their way down to the armory.

In one such hallway, as Sumaru followed his guide to the bottom floor, a rowdy group passed by like a hurricane and flew up the stairs. Sumaru was bumped and slammed right into the wall.

Winded, Sumaru posed a question, "What was that?"

"That-" The soldier answered, also up against the wall, "-was the special training unit."

Sumaru nodded and rubbed his head, "Special?" _They looked more like inmates than soldiers._

The soldier helped Sumaru up, "You can move, right? We need to go. They're all crazy, but their captain is worse."

"Worse?" Sumaru could see the fear on the soldier's face.

He nodded as they shuffled down the corridor and checked around the corner, "They say if you make eye contact, he'll make you join his squad without a second thought." The soldier was dripping with sweat, "He once caught a buddy of mine."

_What is this, a horror story?_ Sumaru gulped, "W-what happened?"

The soldier turned back to Sumaru with a hollow look in his eyes, "I'm sorry!" And he fled the other way with tears streaming down his face.

"Hah?!" In shock, Sumaru watched the soldier flee back the way they'd come. Suddenly, he heard something go crunch right behind him. Sumaru's voice jumped up an octave, "Huh?!"

There was a hand grabbing onto the wall corner that the soldier had been looking around. It was definitely a strong hand, the stone was crumbling beneath it. A severe face appeared next to the hand, "I sense that someone was talking about Shinji. How nostalgic. I'm sure the afterlife gave him what he deserved."

Sumaru looked up at the huge man, "..."

_He hasn't seen me yet! Legs, it's time! Now run!_ Sumaru recieved no response from himself, and his legs remained where they were. _Betrayal?!_

"Hm?" The man's eye drifted downward.

_No! Don't look down here! I'm just an insignificant bug..._ Sumaru tried to make himself smaller by hunching over, but just it wasn't enough to completely disappear.

(Sumaru used minimize!)

(...But it failed!)

"Hey, you."

Sumaru looked behind himself, on the off chance that this man was talking to someone else. The soldier was long gone, so Sumaru pointed to himself, just to make sure, "W-who, me?"

"Who else?"

"..."

"..."

Sumaru tried to keep himself from trembling as they stood in silence, the man had quite the presence. Sumaru reminded himself of the soldier's words. _Something something eye contact, that's what soldier-kun told me, right? _Internally, he nodded to himself. _That's exactly right! Soldier-kun's friend was taken because he didn't make eye contact! He was percieved as weak, that's why he failed! _Sumaru grit his teeth as he mustered his resolve. _That's exactly what it was! That means that what I need to do here is make eye contact!_

Sumaru lifted his face and glared into the intimidating man's face, with his sharingan spinning furiously. The message he wanted say with his eyes was simple. _I'm strong, now get put of my face!_

The man only had one eye, and though his face could have been considered handsome, there was something savage about his presence. _Maybe it's because this man is huge, or maybe it's because this huge man has a sword even bigger than him on his back. Can that even be called a sword?_ In the face of Sumaru's determination, the man grinned, and Sumaru's heart stopped.

* * *

Sumaru was enveloped in a warm feeling completely around his body, as if he were submerged in a wonderful bath.

"It's time to wake up."

The warmth left him, and it only took a moment for him to awaken.

Sumaru sat up, "Aaaaah!" He was in a small room, like a medieval version of the school infirmary. There was even a desk and a row of beds.

A door slammed open and the man from before appeared once more, "Doctor-san, I heard. So he's awake?"

"Huh?" In his 2 seconds of consciousness, Sumaru had overlooked the one other being in the room. There was a person shaped, translucent green blob in a lab coat standing at his bedside.

The thing raised an arm and bubbled.

Sumaru blinked, "Doctor-san?"

It bubbled again.

A heavy hand landed on Sumaru's shoulder, and metal dug into his meat. He squeaked in pain.

The thing in the lab coat bubbled more intensely.

The man glared, "Gentle is for the afterlife."

"Afterlife?" Sumaru couldn't believe the words coming out of this mans mouth.

"Hm? That's right, you don't know yet."

"Know what?" Sumaru couldn't help the dread that welled up in his stomach, and he quickly said, "Hey, can I have my shoulder back?"

The man glared down at Sumaru, "You just arrived, right?" Sumaru nodded with a cramped face, "You've been assigned to my squad. From now on call me Captain."

"You're squad? You mean the special squad, right?"

The Captain clicked his tongue, "They're still calling us that? I told them to change it to Hell Raiser Squad."

_Maybe if I'm polite, he'll let me go._ Sumaru tried it, "Excuse me, but I'm only here for basic training. So-" The weight of the metal hand seemed to increase on Sumaru's shoulder, "So, I'm really grateful for this opportunity to go above and beyond the call of duty, Sir!"

"Good. Now come." The Captain didn't let go of Sumaru, and instead dragged him out of the bed.

Sumaru cried, "It's breaking! It's gonna break!" But no matter how much he squirmed, the grip didn't loosen. He reached for the green blob in the lab coat, "Help me!" Doctor-san reached for Sumaru. _Ah! He's really trying to help! Doctor-san, your soul is beautiful. Thank you._ The green appendage slapped into Sumaru's open hand. _Huh, it feels like jelly. Solid, but squishy._ When he tried to pull himself out of The Captain's grip, Doctor-san's arm came off at the elbow.

Doctor-san waved goodbye with his other arm, and then The Captain pulled Sumaru away from the doorway, and that was the last he saw of the jelly doctor.

Sumaru blinked. Then, "WHEN I ASKED FOR YOUR HELP I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D LITERALLY LEND ME A HAND!" He hollered at the top of his lungs. Then the jelly in his hand started squirming up his arm and Sumaru world went dark.

* * *

Sumaru woke up gasping for air. He was completely soaked with frigid water, clothes and all. He coughed and hacked until he could properly breath again, "Where am I?" Then he looked around and came face to face with a wall of rippling muscles.

The voice that answered was the kind that delinquents and gangsters used when someone intruded on their territory, "Welcome to Hell, Newbie!"

"Hah?" Sumaru tried to look at the man's face, but there were two massive, tan pecs that sat on the brick wall of abs.

"Hurry up and put on your uniform. I'm taking my precious time to wake you up for lunch, now show your appreciation and get ready quick!" A hand pushed an orange jumpsuit at Sumaru.

Sumaru caught it, "Uh, sure." He was in a bed, and this wall of muscle was standing on one side, so he got off on the other side and pulled off his soaked clothes. _Since I don't have a choice anyway, I guess I should at least try to adjust._ Then he slipped his legs into the jumpsuit and half turned turned to the muscle man, "What's your name, by the way?"

"Not By the way, I'm Bruno." Now that he had a little space, Sumaru saw that not only was Bruno incredibly built, but he had two extra arms sticking out of his rib cage. He wore his jumpsuit as pants and let the rest hang.

Sumaru blinked, "Well Bruno, I owe you one." Then he buttoned up the front and tugged on the boots he found under the bed.

It was strange to watch Bruno shrug his lower shoulders. He shook his head and started walking, "No you don't. Now let's go."

Sumaru scratched at his chest and followed, "Yeah."

* * *

The mess hall was divided in sections by squad rankings within the division, and the table for the special squad was in the corner of the room farthest from the kitchens. When Sumaru and Bruno came in through the empty archway, there were only a few soldiers still waiting for their food.

"Damn, hardly anything's left." Bruno grumbled as he tugged Sumaru along to the food line, "Didn't I tell you to hurry up?"

"Don't pull on me." Sumaru twisted his hand out of Bruno's grasp, "If this uniform wasn't so damn itchy, then we wouldn't have been late. Has this thing even been washed?"

Bruno blinked, "Oh, yeah."

"Don't just say, 'Oh, yeah'! What kind of answer even is that?"

The sharp sound of boots on stone cut through the noise, "Arguing before you do anything else, I see. Leave it to the 'special' squad to do something unnecessary like that." Bruno and Sumaru turned to look at the sudden third participant in their conversation. A pressed and creased uniform. Pants and a jacket, it was a real uniform. It was a man with his blond hair slicked back.

Sumaru's eyes narrowed when he saw the look on that man's face, _Does he think he's Gilg*mesh or something?_

Bruno clicked his tongue and tried to grab Sumaru's arm again, "It's none of your business, Siva."

Siva spread his arms with a smirk, "Well someone's got to keep a firm hold on your troublemaker's leashes. It might as well be me, since that Captain of yours obviously isn't up to the-"

During Siva's brief speech, Bruno's face had been slowly changing color until something snapped and he charged with his fists cocked back, "Damn you!"

It was over in an instant. Bruno was a strong looking man, with big muscles and four arms. Sumaru didn't think anyone like that could get taken down so easily, but he saw it with his own eyes. He saw exactly how Siva shifted his body and met the larger man's charge with an open palm and locked legs. It was as if Bruno had charged into an iron skewer at full speed.

Bruno fell, and blood seeped from his mouth.

"Bruno!"

Someone shouted from the side, and people ran over to check on Bruno. They were wearing the same jumpsuits that he was.

While they carried Bruno off, Siva approached Sumaru, "So you're the latest troublemaker? Let me give you a piece of advice," Siva leaned in, "Don't get cocky. You don't want to end up like that." He gestured with his eyes at the archway where Bruno had been hauled off. Then he stepped out of Sumaru's space and looked him up and down, "I'd heard you were some kind of Crimson Demon hybrid, but I guess it's actually true. In that case, you should understand exactly what I mean." Siva walked away with a half wave over his shoulder, "See ya."

Sumaru stared at the arrogant man's back. He'd unconsciously activated his Sharingan.

A hand rested itself on his shoulder, and a voice said, "Leave it." Sumaru glared at the whoever had gotten behind him. It seemed like a man, but between the plain white mask and androgynous voice, it was hard to tell. Sumaru decided to assume it was a guy. He was wearing a jumpsuit like him. The strange voice came out again, "Woah. Try to relax, okay? Don't worry, Bruno will be fine after a visit to Doctor-san. In the mean time, you can have the food we saved for him."

Sumaru blinked, "I'm confused."

The masked guy tilted his head, "It's his fault for letting Siva bait him like that, anyway. Bruno can't stand anyone badmouthing the Captain." He turned to lead Sumaru to the table.

Sumaru scratched at his leg, "Uh, it looks like you're in the special squad too, but what's your name?"

The white mask turned back to Sumaru, and it's pinprick eye holes were somehow intimidating, "You should break that habit as soon as possible. We're the Hell Raiser Squad."

Sumaru was going to say, 'Does it really matter?' but the mask's aura intensified as he was about to speak. Instead, he said, "I'll work on hit."

The aura disappeared instantly and the mask tilted in a facsimile of cuteness, "Excellent. I'm Fenbelt, by the way. Come on, I'll introduce you to the others."

* * *

The tables provided to the squads for meal time were long enough to seat 20 guys on each side. Having so much space made the special squad look extra pitiable. Including Sumaru, there were only four members at a table meant for 40. But even if they lacked members, the Hell Raisers made up for it in eccentricity.

Fenbelt sat next to Sumaru and pointed to the two sitting across from them, "That one is Skinbo, he's too much of a jerk to do anything useful."

"I'm plenty useful right where I am. After all, none of you would know what to do without someone to supervise you." A pencil-thin man with red skin and two small horns poking out of his forehead flourished as he brought a fork to his mouth, "After all, you all can't do anything without me."

Fenbelt rubbed the chin of his mask, "The most useful I've ever seen you be is that one time you were transformed into a paperweight."

Skinbo choked on his food and fell backward off of the bench. He was able to latch onto the table with his cherry hands, before his super gelled hair touched the ground. Sumaru got a good look at Skinbo's fangs when he shouted across the table, "You promised not to bring that up!"

"The other one is Jr."

Jr. was the same size as Bruno, and they might've been related if it wasn't for Jr.'s dark blue pigment. A single horn stood proudly atop the bald man's forehead, about as long as a person's forearm. Sumaru stared at the man, it was impossible to take him seriously when he was hiding his face with both hands like an embarrassed school girl. He tried to speak, "N-n-n-n-nice t-t-to-" Jr.'s dark blue face blushed a radiant purple hue, and steam escaped from his ears, "TOMATO!"

_Their completely opposite._ Sumaru stared in amazement as he watched Skinbo pat Jr. on the back and whisper words of encouragement. He might've found the scene touching if Skinbo wasn't also scraping Jr.'s food onto his own plate while the meek blue muscle man was too busy nodding with tears in his eyes to notice.

At the same time, Sumaru(who'd just taken his first bite) was overcome with an enormous itching sensation all over his body. As he went to town scratching everywhere his hands could reach, Fenbelt tilted his mask in his direction, "Ah. Bruno got you with the itching powder uniform, didn't he?"

"Itching powder?!"

Skinbo giggled, "He does it to all the newcomers. It's a special blend that's been enchanted so that it only activates once you eat something. It happens exactly the same every time, but I swear, I'll never get tired of their faces after the first bite! Ahahahaha!"

Sumaru's sharingan flared to life, and his true thoughts spilled out, "Bastard! When he get's out of the infirmary, I'm gonna kill him!"

The group had a laugh, and Skinbo stretched a pointed tail toward Sumaru, "I can get rid of that itching, if you like."

Sumaru would never admit whether the tears in his eyes were from the sudden burst of hope or the pain from his bleeding skin,"Really?"

Sumaru saw Skinbo's fangs again, "As long as you give me your food."

Sumaru clawed at his legs and screamed, "I don't care, just do it!"

"Certainly. Now then," The red arrow of a tail brushed over Sumaru's hand, and he felt Skinbo's power wash over him for a moment. Then, the itching was gone and he was left with only the pain from his intense scratching. As Sumaru writhed on the floor, Skinbo went to work dragging the platters of food from Sumaru's spot over to his own. He clapped his hands, "It's also enchanted to disappear with a simple application of mana. Thank you, please come again."

They took Sumaru to see Doctor-san after Skinbo finished eating.

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**No Marrow this time, she has other things to do. Sumaru is now stuck with a misfit group within the demon army, and, as expected, shenanigans are unavoidable. I'm really trying to treat this next section of the story as a real arc. Before, there wasn't any real direction and things were just sort of happening to Sumaru at random, But now things should happen to him in a more concentrated and direct flow. Soon, there will be an opportunity to show how Sumaru is handling his Sharingan eyes and I'll try to clearly illustrate which direction Sumaru's powers will develop in the future.**

**Hardship, struggle, growth, tears...**

**As the saying goes, 'Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss you'll land among the stars.'**

**See ya!**


End file.
